DOHA, Qatar – The sound is haunting. Next of Argentina decisive victory 3-0 Croatia inside World Cup Tuesday’s semi-final, the words “Messi… Messi” echoed throughout the nearby metro station.
Thousands of fans wear Argentina’s iconic blue and white striped jersey with by Lionel Messi The name and the number 10 on the back chanted the name of the greatest player of all time in a slow, prolonged manner.
This is perhaps not unique to that post-match experience as Messi and Argentina supporters have been in Qatar for the past five weeks. Now, however, as other fan groups have returned home with their teams out, it seems that Doha has only Argentina supporters. In fact, walking the streets of the city center, day or night, you rarely see the French flag or the group of people wearing it. Kylian Mbappe top.
And these are not just fans who have flown around the world from Argentina. These are people from all over the world, from the Middle East to Europe to Asia who have come to Qatar hoping to see Messi make history.
So it’s no surprise that on Saturday morning, the day before the highly anticipated World Cup final between the two football powerhouses France and Argentina at Lusail Stadium, that French goalkeeper Hugo lloris was asked if he feels like this match pits France against the world’s vibe.
“As long as we have the support of the fans and we know the French people are behind us, nothing else really matters,” Lloris said. “Very few people believed in us at the beginning, at the start of this adventure. But now we are in the final four years after our last final, and we will give it our all. strength to try to win the game.
“Of course we know how much Lionel Messi means in the history of football. But this is the match between France and Argentina at the end of the day.”
France’s Hugo Lloris shares how special it is to reach the 2022 FIFA World Cup final
Hugo Lloris spoke to Jenny Taft about how special it is to reach the 2022 FIFA World Cup final against France.
France hopes to become the third team to ever win consecutive titles (with Italy 1934-1938 and Pele’s Brazil 1958-1962). Going into this tournament, though, many doubts Les Bleus chance to repeat. Injuries to big-name players are one of the reasons, but more so recent history proves that World Cup winners often disappoint four years later.
Take France in 1998, Italy in 2006, Spain 2010 and Germany in 2014. No team made it past the group stage at the next World Cup.
“We look forward to writing our own history and creating our own story,” said Lloris. “It’s going to be the toughest match of the tournament, it’s the final. That goes without saying.”
The defending champion of France may be loved by the bookies, but it is Messi that covers the plot. The 35-year-old legend, who once said this will be his last World Cup, has just one more crucial match left before he can’t do what he most wants to do in his career. And that’s raising the world championship trophy as a champion.
So how does Lloris, as France’s captain, temper the emotions and all the anticipation running through his team?
“I believe the event is too big to focus on just one player,” he said. “It’s a final between two footballing powers, between Argentina and France. Obviously when you face that type of player you need to focus specifically on him. But it’s not just about him. It’s about him. is a strong team with a lot of talented players with a generation of young players, and you can feel that they are all dedicated to Leo Messi.But we will try to find the key to success here. this match”.
France defeated Maroc during Wednesday’s semi-final inside Al Bayt Stadium was packed with mostly noisy Atlas Lions fans. Feeling like they’re playing a road game is nothing new to Les Bleus.
Coach Didier Deschamps said: “Of course we will have French fans come to the stadium, but it is true that most fans will probably support Argentina. “I think it will be a very festive atmosphere. I think the Argentinians are very passionate and supportive of their team as you would expect.
“But our opponent is not the crowd. Our opponent is the team we are facing on the pitch and they are a good team for us to worry about rather than the fans.”
Even if Deschamps, who has coached France for 10 years, underestimates how the environment will play out in Sunday’s final, he understands reality. And that’s right, most of the people watching at home and in the stadium will be cheering for Messi.
“I know many people around the world, and perhaps some French people, hoping for Lionel Messi to win the World Cup,” Deschamps said. “But we will do everything to achieve our goal.”
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Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball, and soccer for FOX Sports. She has previously written for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of the book “Strong Like a Woman,” which was published in the spring of 2022 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.
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