On the day Lionel Messi was introduced to his new workplace in Paris 15 months ago, he heard a surprising sound. Messi, naturally, was being enthusiastically applauded on his presentation as a Paris Saint-Germain signing. Booing was then directed by some Parisiens at one of their city’s most talented sons, Kylian Mbappe.
The derision has stopped since then, and as the two superstars, one of them native to Paris, one initially reluctant to relocate there from his long-term home in Barcelona, have grown closer, their audiences have appreciated being witness to a blessed period in history: Two generation-defining talents as PSG teammates, combining their magic on the same pitch.
On Sunday Messi of Argentina and Mbappe of France get to share a pitch on the greatest stage of all, a World Cup final just north of Doha, from where many roads lead directly to Paris.
It was influential powerbrokers from France who helped push Qatar as host nation of the 2022 World Cup. It is Qatari investment that enabled PSG to employ superstars from across eras, 35-year-old Messi and 23-year-old Mbappe, at the same time.
It was the current French president, Emmanuel Macron, who spoke to Mbappe earlier this year to persuade him that those boos he heard from PSG fans would be quelled if he committed long-term to staying in Paris and that to do so would be a patriotic choice, a vote for France, when the forward was considering, then rejecting, a counter-offer from Real Madrid.
At least one freshly-minted World Cup winners' medal will be on its way to Paris next week, and a narrow consensus is that it is less likely to belong to Messi than Mbappe; that he and 25 of his compatriots will be parading their gold medals along the Champs Elysees.
France’s champion calibre, man for man, and their resourcefulness makes them slender favourites. The title-holders have shaken off significant setbacks – injuries to senior men, such as Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Paul Pogba, Lucas Hernandez and Presnel Kimpembe – with the sort of confidence that comes from continuity.
This will be Les Bleus’ fourth World Cup final in seven editions. The majority of their squad have been brought up through one of the most envied development systems in the sport. Their manager, Didier Deschamps, has been in charge more than a decade and was captain when France won their first World Cup in 1998.
Their opponents at the Lusail Stadium envy the French very little in terms of history, or a culture of high standards in youth football. But the momentum carrying Argentina to the final has been less smooth.
Granted, they came to Qatar unbeaten in 26 matches, delighted how their young head coach, Lionel Scaloni, had turned from stop-gap caretaker to respected leader. Yet after they lost their opening game, to Saudi Arabia, and let go a 2-0 lead late in their quarter-final against the Netherlands, some old insecurities about the effects of tournament pressure needed curing.
The best medicine for that has been Messi, whose fine form for PSG since August after a sometimes difficult first season in Paris has carried over to Qatar. As if he very deliberately designed his calendar to peak in time for this, his fifth World Cup.
Argentina beat Croatia
But take away or nullify Messi, and Argentina would have to look harder than France do for inspiration. Take away Benzema, the holder of the Ballon D’Or, the 2018 World Cup winners, Kante, Pogba and Lucas Hernandez, and France have still been commanding enough to hold off a competitive, sparky England in the quarter-finals, of resisting Morocco in their semi.
Deschamps is thrilled by how his veteran striker, AC Milan’s Olivier Giroud, has taken club form into the World Cup, and how Antoine Griezmann had expanded his repertoire to cover for Benzema’s clever link play, Pogba’s eye for a pass, and Kante’s defensive firefighting all at the same time.
Kante, the Chelsea midfielder currently recovering from a hamstring problem, was hailed four years ago in Russia, for his expert marshalling Messi when France knocked Argentina out of the World Cup, 4-3, at the last 16 stage.
After that defeat, Argentinians held their breath over Messi’s reaction. He had announced – then rescinded – his retirement from internationals after the previous tournament disappointment, the 2016 Copa America, and it was feared another failure to clinch a major trophy might tip him that way again.
Like Mbappe, taking calls from Macron, Messi has listened to appeals from politicians about patriotic obligations, when he doubted the possibility of ever achieving big prizes with Argentina. Winning last year’s Copa America did put a spring his step, though, and his last few months in Paris have been an ideal platform to show some of his dazzling best in Qatar.
He would dearly love to go back to his French home with the one major trophy he is yet to win. A majority of neutrals are probably with Messi more than Mbappe, just to see the captain of Argentina rewarded for all the joy he has given his sport. And because they know there are many more years left to appreciate France’s young star than there are to savour the unique gifts of Messi.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
More coverage from the Future Forum
The%20specs
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Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
if you go
The flights
Emirates have direct flights from Dubai to Glasgow from Dh3,115. Alternatively, if you want to see a bit of Edinburgh first, then you can fly there direct with Etihad from Abu Dhabi.
The hotel
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Located in the heart of Mackintosh's Glasgow, the Dakota Deluxe is perhaps the most refined hotel anywhere in the city. Doubles from Dh850
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Events and tours
There are various Mackintosh specific events throughout 2018 – for more details and to see a map of his surviving designs see glasgowmackintosh.com
For walking tours focussing on the Glasgow Style, see the website of the Glasgow School of Art.
More information
For ideas on planning a trip to Scotland, visit www.visitscotland.com
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan v Juventus
Saturday, 10.45pm (UAE)
Watch the match on BeIN Sports
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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More coverage from the Future Forum
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
The five pillars of Islam
More on Quran memorisation:
RESULT
Liverpool 4 Southampton 0
Jota (2', 32')
Thiago (37')
Van Dijk (52')
Man of the match: Diogo Jota (Liverpool)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Types of bank fraud
1) Phishing
Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
2) Smishing
The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
3) Vishing
The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
4) SIM swap
Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
5) Identity theft
Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
6) Prize scams
Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
