Ex- Manchester United star Antonio Valencia wants Lionel Messi and Argentina to win the World Cup, despite fears about fans of the South American nation becoming "insufferable".
Messi is just one game away from winning the World Cup for the first time in his career. It would also most likely be the last, with the Paris Saint-Germain star suggesting before the tournament that he would not be back for the 2026 edition.
A comfortable victory over Croatia set up Argentina's appearance in the final, with Messi scoring the first of three unanswered goals for Lionel Scaloni's team. If they want to win, though, they'll have to get past a France team who beat Morocco 2-0 to reach their second successive final.
"I was with a group of friends recently and of those five friends, three of them said to me, 'Look, if Argentina win we’ll have to put up with them for a long time. Even when they don’t win anything they’re insufferable. Imagine if they win!'," Valencia, who played for Man Utd as they lost to Messi's Barcelona in the 2011 Champions League final, wrote for The Athletic.
"I want Argentina to win for Messi, for everything he has accomplished in his career. Every player should want to emulate his work ethic, his humility, his performances. Messi is the standard.
"This version of Messi that I’ve been watching truly wants to win the World Cup. He’s fully focused on that. It’s a wonderful opportunity for him."
Will Messi get the job done? Have your say in the comments section
When asked about the prospect of Messi going one better than his defeat in the 2014 final, France manager Didier Deschamps stood firm. Back in 2014, Germany needed an extra-time goal from Mario Gotze to claim victory, and some are predicting another close game at Lusail Stadium.
"We will do everything humanly possible for that not to happen," Deschamps told beIN Sport when asked about the prospect of a Messi win. "At the end of the match, someone is getting a 3rd star on their shirt."
After the victory over Croatia, Messi played down any suggestions his fitness could be a concern going into the final "I feel really good, I feel strong and ready to play each game," he said.
“It’s not easy as we arrived tired but the group gained strength again and we played a strong game. I am enjoying this a lot. I feel very happy in this World Cup and I am able to help the squad.”
Messi and his PSG team-mate Kylian Mbappe are level on five goals in the race to become top scorer at the 2022 World Cup, with the Argentina star leading by one on the assists tie-breaker. Argentina's Julian Alvarez is just one behind after his double against Croatia, while Olivier Giroud of France is also on four.
