Lionel Messi will have one final shot at World Cup glory when Argentina face holders France in the 2022 World Cup final on Sunday evening.
Messi, 36, is regarded as one of the greatest footballers in history and has won it all at club level, before finally leading Argentina to international success at the 2021 Copa America. The one glaring omission on Messi's glittering CV is the World Cup, with the heartbreaking defeat to Germany in the 2014 final the closest he has come to football's most famous prize.
The Barcelona legend and current Paris Saint-Germain star has one last opportunity to lift the World Cup after leading Argentina to the final in Qatar, where he has been one of the stars of the tournament. He shares the lead in the race for the Golden Boot on five goals, alongside PSG teammate and France's star man Kylian Mbappe.
Billed as one of the title favourites before the tournament got underway, Argentina's campaign got off to the worst possible start with the shock defeat to Saudi Arabia, but Messi and Co quickly regrouped to beat Mexico and Poland to top their group.
A 2-1 victory over Australia in the last 16 set up a dramatic quarter-final against the Netherlands, and Argentina looked to be cruising to victory with a 2-0 lead before the Dutch struck two late goals to force extra time and penalties.
After coming through a tense shootout, Argentina proved too strong for 2018 finalists Croatia in the semi-finals and now stand one win away from clinching the trophy.
The South American champions will face their biggest test of the tournament against a France side, who despite being depleted by injuries, have consistently proved their title credentials. France's only defeat came against Tunisia when they had already won their group, while knockout stage wins over Poland, England, and Morocco have put Les Bleus in a position to become the first nation to retain the World Cup since Brazil in 1962.
Ahead of the showdown at Lusail Stadium, Messi and his Argentina teammates took part in one last training session at Qatar University on Saturday evening.
Check out the best photos from the training session in the photo gallery above. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows or swipe if using a mobile device.
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The 12
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
The results of the first round are as follows:
Qais Saied (Independent): 18.4 per cent
Nabil Karoui (Qalb Tounes): 15.58 per cent
Abdelfattah Mourou (Ennahdha party): 12.88 per cent
Abdelkarim Zbidi (two-time defence minister backed by Nidaa Tounes party): 10.7 per cent
Youssef Chahed (former prime minister, leader of Long Live Tunisia): 7.3 per cent
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
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THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
Schedule
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
THE BIO
Ambition: To create awareness among young about people with disabilities and make the world a more inclusive place
Job Title: Human resources administrator, Expo 2020 Dubai
First jobs: Co-ordinator with Magrudy Enterprises; HR coordinator at Jumeirah Group
Entrepreneur: Started his own graphic design business
Favourite singer: Avril Lavigne
Favourite travel destination: Germany and Saudi Arabia
Family: Six sisters
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
GIANT REVIEW
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Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
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Director: Sam Raimi
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Rating: 3/5
