⚽ Messi & Mbappe at the 2022 World Cup Final ⚽

As the world prepares for the World Cup Final this weekend, it seems fitting that our first episode tell the story of the last World Cup Final. Hear the tale of how two professional teammates took to field as rivals competing for soccer's greatest prize in what became one of the legendary World Cup Finals ever! Lionel Messi leads Argentina against Kylian Mbappe and France on this episode of Once Upon A Game.

Transcript

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Hello, sports fans, and welcome to Once Upon a Game. As the world prepares for the World Cup final this weekend, it seems only fitting that our first full-length episode takes us back to the last World Cup championship four years ago. Hear the tale about how two professional teammates became national rivals competing for soccer's biggest prize. It's Messi vs. Mbappe at the 2022 World Cup Final, tonight on Once Upon a Game. Once Upon a Game, in December of 2022, the world gathered in the small desert country of Qatar for the biggest game and the most popular sport on the planet. Soccer's FIFA World Cup. This championship tournament only happens once every four years and draws national teams from every corner of the globe. Now, after nearly a month of games, only two teams remained, the countries of Argentina and France. These were two of the greatest soccer teams in the world, and each was led by one of the game's greatest players. For Argentina, there was the brilliant Lionel Messi. For nearly 20 years, Lionel had amazed fans with his skill, vision, and creativity. He had won almost every trophy imaginable, but one prize had always escaped him, the World Cup. France was led by their young superstar, Killian Mbappe. Four years earlier at the last World Cup, when he was just 19 years old, Mbampe had helped France win the championship. He was already considered one of the fastest and most dangerous players in the world, and now he was back and ready to defend France's World Cup crown. During the regular season, Messi and Mbappe were teammates on the same professional team, but tonight they took the field as rivals, both wearing the number 10, with Messi in the light blue and white striped uniform of Argentina, Mbappe in the dark blue uniform worn by France. Some thought this game might be a passing of the torch between generations. Messi the master at the end of a legendary career, and Mbappe the rising star of the future. From the opening whistle, Argentina played with energy and poise. Midway through the first half, Argentina earned a penalty kick after one of its players was tripped while driving towards France's goal. Any player on the field is allowed to take a team's penalty kick, and everyone knew which Argentinian player would be selected. Lionel Messi stepped forward. The eighty-eight thousand fans who'd packed the stadium that night held their breath with anticipation as Messi placed the ball twelve yards in front of the French goal and prepared to kick. Only France's goalkeeper could attempt to block the shot. Messi began his jog towards the ball, planted his right foot beside the ball, and swung his left foot down for the kick. As he did, the French goalkeeper tried to anticipate the shot and dove to his right, but Messi calmly kicked the ball to the left and into the open net. Goal! Messi sprinted to the corner of the field and slid across the grass as his teammates piled on top of him in celebration. Argentina led 1-0. The game resumed and both teams continued to fight for momentum. About twelve minutes later, Argentina redirected a French kick towards midfield. A series of quick touch passes sent Argentina's offense sprinting down the field on the attack. The final pass of the play went across the field to winger Angel de Maria on the left side. Again, France's goalkeeper dove to block the shot, but de Maria lifted the shot over the goalie's hip and the ball sailed into the net. Another Argentinian goal. Argentina's fans and players erupted with joy, and as halftime arrived, Argentina led two to nothing. For much of the second half, Argentina seemed in complete control of the game. France was struggling to create chances, and it seemed as if just maybe Messi's long-awaited World Cup was within reach. The clock continued to tick, just ten minutes remained. Then everything changed. In the eightieth minute of the game, France earned a penalty kick of their own. Now it was Killian Mbappe's chance to help his team. He placed the ball, jogged forward, planted his left foot, and swung his right towards the ball. Argentina's goalkeeper dove to the right in anticipation of the kick. He guessed correctly, but Mbappe's kick was so strong and fast that the ball glanced off the goalkeeper's fingers and into the net. France now trailed only 2-1, and while France's fans cheered, the players knew there was no time to celebrate. Time was running out. Mbappe grabbed the ball from the net and jogged to midfield to restart the game. Just one minute later, the unthinkable happened. A French steal off the foot of none other than Lionel Messi. France had the ball near midfield. They made one pass, then another, then a lofting pass towards Mbappe. He redirected it with his head to a teammate and sprinted forward. The pass was immediately returned. Mbappe jumped, twisted, and kicked a powerful volley towards the goal. Again the goalkeeper dove, and again it hit his hand, but the force of the kick was so great that the ball crashed through and into the goal. France's players piled on Mbappe, this time celebrating right along with thousands of fans. In just 97 seconds, Killian Mbappe had scored twice to tie the match at 2-2. 90 minutes would not be long enough to decide this World Cup. The final would go to extra time. Two more 15-minute periods to decide the championship. Even before extra time began, the match had seemed to become a clash between two epic warriors bravely leading their forces through a battle. The only question that remained was which hero, Messi or Mbappe, would be able to come up with the final victory. The first fifteen minutes passed without a score. Then, in the 108th minute of the game, Argentina began a drive towards France's goal. An Argentinian player launched a powerful kick from close range. The French goalkeeper made a tremendous save. The ball bounced off his face and up into the air, right in the direction of Lionel Messi. Before the ball could hit the ground, Messi kicked the ball forward just across the goal line. Messi had scored again. Argentina led 3-2. His teammates rushed to celebrate, and it seemed Argentina's World Cup dream was finally about to come true. But France refused to surrender. Laid in extra time, with just two minutes to play, Mbappe fired a shot that struck an Argentinian defender's arm. The referee blew his whistle and signaled for a handball and a penalty kick for France. Mbappe stepped forward once again. He drove the ball to the left and into the empty net. Mbappe had scored his third goal of the game, and once again it had been to tie the game. The score was now 3-3. Minutes later, time expired, meaning the World Cup final would be decided by penalty kicks. Each team would select five players to attempt a penalty kick. The team that scored the most goals would be crowned World Cup champions. As the players gathered at midfield, exhaustion covered every face. They had run, tackled, passed, and fought for more than two hours. Now they stood arm in arm with their teammates as the penalty round began. Mbappe and Messe each took the first kick for their teams, and each scored 1-1. After their game-long battle, the two stars would have to watch and trust their teammates for the remaining kicks. Argentina's next two players also scored, but France's second shot was saved, and its third shot missed the net. Even though France's fourth shot went in, Argentina now led the penalty round 3-2. One more goal and they would win the match and the championship. The fourth kicker for Argentina was Gonzalo Montiel. He had not even played in the final until the 91st minute of the game, and earlier he had committed the handball penalty that allowed Mbappe to tie the score in extra time. But now Montiel had a chance to land the winning kick. He stepped forward, struck the ball with his right foot. The French goalkeeper dove to the right, but Montiel had kicked to the left. The ball struck the back of the net and the stadium erupted with cheers. Argentina were the World Cup champions. As the players celebrated, many eyes turned to Lionel Messi. For years he had been considered one of the greatest soccer players on the planet. Despite the many league titles, cups, and individual awards he had won over his long career, a World Cup title, the ultimate championship, had eluded him. But not anymore. Messi lifted the World Cup trophy high above his head as his teammates cheered around him. Across the field, Mbappe stood disappointed but respected. At just 23 years old, he had scored a hat trick in the World Cup final and shown the world that his own legend would only continue to grow. And so, the 2022 World Cup Final became one of the most celebrated games in soccer history. It was a story about respectful rivals living up to their greatness. A story of competitiveness and comebacks where no lead was safe. It was a lesson for all sports fans that hard work, determination, and trust in your teammates can bring out the best in everyone and create a truly legendary story. The End.