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GROUP D

GROUP D

ZAAHIER ADAMS

LIONEL Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Superstars that have graced football stadia the world over and brought millions and millions of fans unbridled joy and delight.

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But yet they have only tasted personal despair at the Fifa World Cup. They are undoubtedly modern-day greats, but to truly sit alongside the pantheon of legends of the ilk of Pelé and Diego Maradona then Qatar 2022 is the one final shot at immortality.

Messi, 35, will once again don the iconic Argentina No 10 shirt, while “CR7” will want to prove with Portugal that at even 37-years-old he is not a spent force like his club Manchester United may think.

Whoever manages to lift the golden Jules Rimet trophy could actually finally settle the “GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) debate once and for all.

But while everyone’s focus will be on the great rivals’ “Last Dance”, there are two young stars that could easily steal the show in Qatar.

Kylian Mbappé (France) and Vinícius Júnior

(Brazil) are ready to take over the mantle. And Mbappe, 23, has already touched greatness by powering France to World Cup glory four years ago in Russia.

Aged just 19, the looselimbed attacker became only the second teenager, after Pelé, to score in a World Cup final in France’s 4-2 win over Croatia.

On the basis of this feat, Mbappe is already one of the most sought-after and well-paid footballers in the world at his Paris St Germain club. The Frenchman has unmatched raw pace, potent finishing and intelligence beyond his years.

Another consecutive World Cup triumph here in the Gulf nation, and it may yet be Mbappe that is heralded as the “GOAT” in years to come.

Enter Vinícius Júnior. The 22-year-old, who plies his trade at Real Madrid, already ranks among the world’s top five players. Last season was a breakthrough year for the flying Brazilian winger, where his sizzling performances down the Santiago Bernabéu touchline earned Los Blancos a record-extending 14th Uefa Champions League title and him the inaugural Young Player of the Season award.

Like Mbappe, he is blessed with scintillating pace and remains unphased by tight marking with his nifty footwork often getting him out of small spaces.

Vini Jnr will form part of a potent Brazilian forward line that also includes Neymar, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, Pedro, Raphinha and Richarlison which is likely to leave many a defender floundering in their slipstream.

Mbappe has the pedigree of handling the pressure of delivering a World Cup. Messi and Ronaldo have been left floundering before. And now Vini Jnr will find out what it means to have 214 million Brazilians waiting at home for a record sixth title.

It’s certainly going to heat up in the Arabian desert over the next month.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will be chasing an elusive World Cup title in Qatar, but the new generation of Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior may yet usurp them.

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