New Delhi: The 2022 final was supposed to be Lionel Messi’s last World Cup match. He even said so himself after the semi-final against Croatia. But here we are, four years later, in another final, and La Pulga is still running the show. Everyone is now saying this will definitely be his last dance.Spain's forward #19 Lamine Yamal at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington on July 14, 2026 (L); and Argentina's forward #10 Lionel Messi in Atlanta on July 15, 2026. (AFP)But Messi’s last dance will be Lamine Yamal’s first. A passing of the baton though it might not be in the way that pleases one of them.While Messi didn’t make a World Cup final until his third tournament, Spain’s balance has ensured that the teenage prodigy, who hasn’t been at his best so far, hasn’t had to wait that long.Yamal certainly won’t be able to identify with the pain that drives Messi but that may give him the freedom to simply go out and make the stage his own. Messi, on the other hand, with his overbearing influence, has shown all tournament that he knows what it takes to help Argentina win.Asked about the constant comparisons between Yamal and the Argentina captain, Spain manager Luis de La Fuente said: “I think Lamine has to be Lamine. Messi is an unbelievable talent, and an example to all young footballers. I consider him a role model but Lamine has to be Lamine, and the best way to help him is to give him the support so he can keep being Lamine.”Every final, no matter the level, is about finding the thing that drives you forward. You want to manifest it, you want to live it and you want to use it when you are running on fumes.The Albiceleste are not a one-man team, despite Messi being involved in 12 goals. The other players have chipped in with vital goals too. But Spain will know that if they can stop Messi or even block the passing lanes (as they did against France), they will make their own life much easier.Manager Lionel Scaloni has drilled a simple tactic into this Argentina team: when they have the ball, find a way to get it to Messi, allow him to draw defenders, and open up the game for the other players, giving them the time and space to strike.So is man-marking the answer?“I met Lionel Messi when he was playing in youth football. It was a Copa del Rey match between Sevilla and Barcelona. I had heard a lot about a boy who was called Messi,” said De La Fuente, who was then in charge of Sevilla’s youth team.He added: “So, naturally, we decided to man-mark him at first. In the 70th minute we were drawing 0-0 and when the player who was man-marking him was shown a card I took him off. In the next 15 minutes, Messi scored four times. Does that mean we’re going to man-mark him? No. But will we be paying a lot of attention to him? Yes. But no more than they will be paying attention to our players.”Argentina will also have a different problem on their hands: the manner in which La Roja recover the ball. Spain’s ball recovery time across the tournament has been just 10.1 seconds. So, when they lose the ball, they don’t give the opposition any time on it. This explains why they have conceded just one goal in the tournament and why there have been only 11 opposition attempts on target.It can be risky if the opposition can find the release pass or accurately switch flanks but against France it worked like a charm. Part of the reason for that happening was how skipper Rodri dominated the game.He was everywhere all at once and provided the assurance needed against a team that had been scoring goals for fun. Spain will need him to step up against a team that isn’t shy of being physical on the field of play. But to dominate the midfield, Spain will also need Alex Baena and Fabian Ruiz to be at their best.One factor that could influence the match is that unlike the semi-finals that were played under a closed roof, the final will be an open-air event. Argentina has one fewer rest day but the energy levels may only come into play if the game goes down to the wire.“We prepare just like in every match, with a lot of desire for things to go well for us, with a willingness to analyse the opponent,” said Argentina manager Scaloni during the pre-match press conference. “We need to bring out our best version to try to win. I think we’re doing well, beyond things we can always improve. We’re a team that’s already well-known by our rivals, and that’s why it has double merit to have reached where we have. We’ll try to win the final.”No doubt Spain will have the same thought. However, at the end of the day, matches are not won by reputation but by how good you are on the day; not won by thoughts but by deeds. So, bring on the final, let the heroes make their mark, and may the best team win.