Argentina captain Lionel Messi is a huge admirer of 2 Real Madrid legends - Reports
Argentina captain Lionel Messi is a huge admirer of Real Madrid legends Zinedine Zidane and Karim Benzema, as per L'Equipe (h/t le10sport).
The report mentions that the two French players would be the most appreciated by the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) playmaker ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup final. France will take on Argentina on December 18 in a bid to win their third FIFA World Cup title.
Lionel Messi is expected to start with the captain's armband once again as he looks to add to his tally of five goals and three assists this tournament. Benzema, meanwhile, has missed the entirety of the World Cup so far due to an injury.
He won the Ballon d'Or in October and became the first French player since Zidane in 1998 to put his hands on the trophy. The 34-year-old is a legend with Los Merengues, with whom he has won five UEFA Champions League titles and four La Liga trophies to date.
Karim Benzema has rejected an invitation from French president Emmanuel Macron to attend the World Cup final, sources have told ESPN. https://t.co/Eo4VGgV2wj
Benzema has scored 329 goals and provided 160 assists in 617 games across competitions for Real Madrid since joining them in 2009. Those numbers comfortably place him in the history books at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Zidane, on the other hand, played for Los Blancos from 2001 until his retirement from football in the summer of 2006. He made 227 appearances and registered 49 goals and 68 assists for the club.
While he won only one Champions League and La Liga title each as a player at Madrid, he has furthered his legacy as the manager of the club. He won a hat-trick of Champions League trophies and two league titles, among other trophies, across his two spells as their head coach.
Zidane also won the FIFA World Cup in 1998 - a trophy Messi and Benzema are yet to get their hands on.
France likely to use Real Madrid star to man-mark Lionel Messi
According to Football-Espana, Real Madrid's Aurelien Tchouameni could be used to mark Lionel Messi out of the FIFA World Cup final against France.
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Without the presence of N'Golo Kante and Paul Pogba, Tchouameni has come to the fore as one of Les Bleus' most vital midfielders in Qatar. He has featured in all six games at the 2022 World Cup so far, which has further added to his bloated reputation since joining Real Madrid this summer.
Kante notably man-marked Lionel Messi in the 2018 FIFA World Cup last 16 tie, which France won 4-3. In his absence, all signs indicate that Tchouameni will be the player manager Didier Deschamps will trust to carry out the same task.
He was exceptional in their 2-0 win over Morocco in the semi-finals, making three clearances and four interceptions and winning six ground duels.