Messi and Yamal set to star in World Cup final

In the clash between the top two teams in the FIFA rankings, the performances of 39-year-old Lionel Messi and 19-year-old Lamine Yamal will be decisive. Messi is appearing in his third final, while Yamal will experience this thrill for the first time.

Scraper SystemJuly 18, 2026, 09:16 PM

Messi and Yamal set to star in World Cup final

Excitement is at its peak in the FIFA World Cup. The top two teams in the rankings will face off for the title tomorrow at New York New Jersey Stadium. The most striking aspect of the final is that two stars who came through Barcelona's youth system, 39-year-old Lionel Messi and 19-year-old Lamine Yamal, will go head-to-head.

Messi won his first World Cup title at Qatar 2022. Yamal, on the other hand, will experience the excitement of playing in a final for the first time.

Yamal tops the dribbling charts

Spanish player Lamine Yamal has been drawing attention with his performances throughout the tournament. With 30 dribbles, Yamal is the player with the most dribbles, followed by France's Kylian Mbappe with 24, Brazil's Vinicius Junior with 23, Argentina's Lionel Messi with 22, and Belgium's Jeremy Doku with 21.

Messi set to make history

If he takes the field, 39-year-old Lionel Messi will become the second player to appear in three World Cup finals, after Brazil's Cafu (1994, 1998, 2002). Moreover, if he scores, he will become the sixth player to score in two World Cup finals. This feat was previously achieved by Vava (1958, 1962), Pele (1958, 1970), Paul Breitner (1974, 1982), Zinedine Zidane (1998, 2006), and Kylian Mbappe (2018, 2022).

Yamal chasing records at a young age

Yamal, who overcame an injury to take part in the tournament, has become the third youngest player to appear in seven World Cup matches. In this category, France's Kylian Mbappe and Spain's Pau Cubarsi had previously stood out.

Golden Boot race

Lionel Messi shares the lead in the Golden Boot race with Mbappe, having scored eight goals in the tournament. Yamal, who found the net against Saudi Arabia in the group stage, has yet to score in the knockout rounds. In the all-time standings, Messi has 21 goals and Mbappe has 20.

Messi's 33 goal contributions

Since records began in 1966, Messi has the most goal contributions in the tournament, with 21 goals and 12 assists.

Goals from outside the box

Argentina has scored five goals from outside the box in this tournament, the highest tally in a single World Cup. Messi scored two of those, while Giovani Lo Celso, Julian Alvarez, and Enzo Fernandez each scored one. With seven goals from outside the box in World Cup history, Messi has surpassed Brazilian legend Rivellino.

Messi and Yamal set to star in World Cup final