Sports

World Cup 2022: Lionel Messi vs Kylian Mbappe final – which players have dominated tournaments?

Published

3 years ago

2022/12/17

Argentina face France in the World Cup final on Sunday, with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe inspiring their respective nations throughout the past month in Qatar.So will the competition be remembered as the ‘Messi World Cup’, with the Argentine finally lifting the trophy that has eluded him, or will Mbappe guide France to successive triumphs, following on from four years ago in Russia?

BBC Sport has taken a look at six other players who were instrumental in their country’s successes in previous years.

Pele, Brazil – 1958

Pele was only 17 when Brazil went to the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, looking to win the tournament for the first time. Left out of his country’s opening two games, the forward then impressed in a 2-0 success over the Soviet Union and scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Wales in the quarter-finals.

From then on, Pele was unstoppable. He grabbed a hat-trick in a 5-2 semi-final victory over France and two more goals in the 5-2 win over Sweden in the final – including a brilliant effort when he flicked the ball over a defender who had tried to clatter him with a knee-high challenge and then volleyed into the net.

That was to be the first of three World Cup titles for Pele, although he only featured in the opening two matches in 1962, before injury ruled him out. In 1970, though, he was at his very best, scoring four times – including Brazil’s first goal in the thrilling 4-1 final win over Italy.

Mario Kempes, Argentina – 1978

Argentina have won the World Cup twice and, on both occasions, one player has played a huge part in their triumph. In 1978, on home soil, it was Mario Kempes.The Valencia striker had gone into the tournament on the back of being the top goalscorer in La Liga in two successive seasons and was the only player in Argentina’s squad not playing his football in the country.

Kempes failed to score in the first group phase, but in the second phase he shone with both goals in a 2-0 win over Poland, and the first and third in a 6-0 victory over Peru.

That took Argentina into the final and Kempes netted twice more, in a 3-1 win over the Netherlands in Buenos Aires, as he not only helped his country to their first success, but also ended up as the tournament’s top goalscorer and its best player.

Paolo Rossi, Italy – 1982

Going into the 1982 World Cup in Spain, Italy striker Paolo Rossi had only just returned to action after a two-year ban for his part in a match-fixing scandal in Serie A, with national manager Enzo Bearzot criticised in the Italian media for selecting him.

But after a poor start, the striker sparkled against Brazil by scoring a brilliant hat-trick in a match Italy had to win to reach the semi-finals. He followed that with both goals in the 2-0 semi-final victory that saw off Poland, and netted Italy’s first in the 3-1 final win over West Germany.Rossi’s six goals saw him clinch the Golden Boot as the top goalscorer and the Golden Ball for player of the tournament.

Diego Maradona, Argentina – 1986

Captain Diego Maradona led by example in 1986 as he helped Argentina win their second World Cup in the Mexico showpiece. A first goal came against Italy in a 1-1 draw to help Argentina win the group.

In the quarter-finals, he scored twice to eliminate England 2-1. The first was the infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal – when Maradona punched the ball past Peter Shilton – but the second is regarded as one of the best World Cup strikes of all time, as he picked up the ball inside his own half, before producing an incredible, weaving run through the England defence and beating Shilton.

He followed that with two more stunning goals in the 2-0 semi-final win over Belgium, and was then instrumental in the dramatic 3-2 final win over West Germany.

With five goals and five assists to his name, Maradona was a runaway winner of the Golden Ball for being the competition’s best player.

Zinedine Zidane, France – 1998

Skilful midfielder Zinedine Zidane was the poster boy for France’s 1998 World Cup, which they hosted.He made a great start with an assist for his country’s first goal of the tournament, scored by Christophe Dugarry in a 3-0 win over South Africa.

Zidane was then instrumental as they took the lead against Saudi Arabia, but later sent off in the 4-0 win and missed France’s third group game against Denmark, as well as the nervy 1-0 extra-time victory over Paraguay in the last 16.

But he returned in style, scoring in the penalty shootout to see off Italy in the quarter-finals and then helping his side to a 2-1 semi-final win over Croatia.In the final, Zidane scored two headers in a 3-0 win over Brazil, and his performances earned him a place in the team of the tournament. Two years later, he was named the best player at Euro 2000, which France also won.

Ronaldo, Brazil – 2002

That 1998 final was expected to be the greatest moment for Brazil striker Ronaldo. However, he suffered a seizure before the match and was originally not named in the line-up – only to then start, but fail to make an impact in a 3-0 loss to France.

A serious knee injury in 1999 threatened to end his career, but what followed was one of football’s greatest comeback stories. In the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan, Ronaldo was sensational as he put his nightmare of four years earlier behind him, with eight goals in seven matches.

He got four goals in the three group matches – one in a 2-1 win over Turkey, another in a 4-0 thrashing of China and two in an easy 5-2 win over Costa Rica. Then came one in the 2-0 last-16 victory over Belgium, the only goal in the 1-0 semi-final success against Turkey and both in the 2-0 win over Germany in the final.Ronaldo ended up as top goalscorer and no player has scored more in a World Cup since, although both Messi and Mbappe remain in contention to do that this year. (BBC Sports)

All News Advertisement

Sports

Rajiva wins gold and silver medals at Singapore Masters Athletics Meet‎

Published

6 hours ago

2026/06/8

Thilina Walpola

Masters double international Rajiva Wijetunge, who participated in his 100th athletics meet, made it a memorable one by winning gold for Shot Put and silver for Discus Throw in the 65 – 69 age category at the Singapore Masters Athletics Meet conducted at the Home of Athletics Stadium, Kallang Singapore over the weekend. With the gold and the sliver madals won by Rajiva, his international medals tally stands at 34 on his 67th birthday today (June 08).

Sports

Dinara and Aahil crowned ITF J30 week 2 champions at SSC

Published

7 hours ago

2026/06/8

Thilina Walpola

Dinara de Silva and Aahil Kaleel pose with Chammika de Silva (Tournament Detector) after they won the titles. (Pic by Kamal Wanniarachchi

The ITF J30 Week 2 Junior Tennis Tournament concluded at the SSC Courts on Sunday with Sri Lanka’s rising stars Dinara de Silva and Aahil Kaleel emerging as the girls’ and boys’ singles champions respectively.

‎The St. Bridget’s Convent, Colombo player produced a commanding performance in the girls’ singles final, defeating fellow Sri Lankan Yuhansa Peiris 4-1, 4-1 to secure the title. The victory marked another significant achievement for one of the country’s leading junior players.

‎According to family sources, the tournament is expected to be Dinara’s final ITF Junior event on Sri Lankan soil, making the title triumph a memorable farewell appearance before she turns her attention to competitions abroad.

‎In the boys’ singles final, S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia player Aahil Kaleel battled back strongly to defeat India’s Chauhan Shiok 4-5, 4-0, 10-6 in an entertaining contest. After narrowly losing the opening set, Aahil dominated the second set before holding his nerve in the match tie-break to clinch the championship.

‎The victory was historic for Aahil, who became the first Sri Lankan player in 14 years to win the boys’ singles title at an ITF Junior tournament held in Sri Lanka. The last local player to achieve the feat was Shamal Dissanayake, who captured the title in 2012.

‎Adding further significance to the double success, both Dinara and Aahil train under the guidance of the Dineshkanthan Tennis School, highlighting the academy’s growing contribution to the development of Sri Lankan junior tennis.

‎The tournament concluded on a positive note for Sri Lanka, with local players claiming both singles titles and demonstrating the promising future of the country’s next generation of tennis talent.

Sports

Rumesh’s Rome heroics a watershed moment for Sri Lankan Athletics

Published

7 hours ago

2026/06/8

Thilina Walpola

Rumesh Tharanga in action in Rome.

Sri Lanka’s former national javelin record holders Sachith Maduranga and Waruna Lakshan Dayaratne have hailed Rumesh Tharanga’s historic performance at the Rome Diamond League as a defining moment for Sri Lankan athletics, saying it has shattered long-standing misconceptions about the country’s ability to compete with the world’s best.

‎Tharanga produced a stunning world-leading throw of 92.62 metres at the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea meeting in Rome, setting a new meet record and becoming the first Sri Lankan athlete to win a Diamond League event.

‎Former national record holder Sachith Maduranga described the achievement as a watershed moment that had broken a number of myths which had prevented Sri Lankan athletes from believing they could excel at the highest international level.

‎”He has taken the javelin to a totally new level,” Maduranga said in an interview with The Island from Australia.

‎Reflecting on Tharanga’s early days in the sport, Maduranga recalled the confidence and determination displayed by the athlete from a young age.

‎”In one of his first encounters with me, he said that he would definitely break my junior record,” Maduranga said.

‎The former Asian Championships medallist revealed that after Tharanga’s impressive performances as a junior athlete, he strongly encouraged him to seek overseas training opportunities. Maduranga said he, together with a former president of Sri Lanka Athletics, had urged Tharanga to follow a similar path to the one that helped him secure success at the continental level.

‎However, Tharanga remained committed to working under his long-time coach Tony Prasanna.

‎”But he insisted that he would continue to train with his coach Tony Prasanna. Now he has proven that the knowledge of his local coach was enough to beat the world. This is phenomenal,” Maduranga said.

‎Former national record holder Waruna Lakshan Dayaratne also praised Tharanga’s remarkable achievement, joining the growing chorus of admiration for a performance that has elevated Sri Lankan athletics to unprecedented heights.

‎Tharanga’s Rome triumph has not only rewritten the record books but has also provided compelling evidence that world-class success can be achieved through dedication, talent and high-quality coaching available within Sri Lanka. His achievement is expected to inspire a new generation of athletes to dream bigger and challenge the world’s elite on the global stage. (RF)