Regardless of Sunday’s result, Manchester United fans can be sure that a World Cup medal will return to Old Trafford.
A privilege not many clubs are assured of, United will be represented in either division of the high-stakes affair on Sunday.
With the entire sporting world eyeing the superstar matchup between Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, United fans’ main focus will be on a minor but still significant mini-battle that could determine the final outcome of the game: Lisandro Martínez vs. Raphael. Varane.
Lisandro Martínez has been a mainstay in Argentina’s back line during the World Cup, as has his partner at United’s center Raphael Varane for France.
The two defenders and close United jersey accomplices will meet on Sunday in the World Cup final in what is guaranteed to be a thrilling finale to a glittering tournament highlighted by twists, stories and numerous plot twists.
If Varane is deemed fit enough to start, his place in the starting XI is assured. Reports yesterday from France indicated that the four-time Champions League winner faces a race against time to become available for selection after contracting a virus.
The only variable will be who plays alongside Varane. From the group stage to the semi-finals, where Les Bleus knocked out a defensively stubborn Moroccan, Didier Deschamps has cut and changed his centre-back pair in every game, the United man being the only constant.
Dayot Upamecano has been placed alongside Varane and, most recently, Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate.
Despite these changes, Varane’s class has shone, never setting a false foot throughout the competition. The player’s defensive aptitude has been instrumental in guiding a relatively young back line that also consists of the likes of Jules Kounde and Theo Hernandez.
No doubt Deschamps will be waiting with bated breath for his tried and trusted lieutenant to be fit in time for Sunday.
Martínez, on the other hand, depends on the formation that Lionel Scaloni uses. In the event that the Albiceleste boss recovers his defense of five favorites, it is likely that Martínez, based on the evidence available so far, will start.
In a four-back system, Scaloni will likely look to Tottenham’s Nicolás Otamendi and Cristian Romero to bolster the defense before bringing in the United butcher as a backup super replacement.
Every time Martinez has been called upon to execute this responsibility, he has excelled at it to great effect. No doubt Scaloni will be aware of such a weapon in his arsenal and, should the need arise, he will jump at the chance to deploy it.
Both Varane and Martínez have a golden opportunity to join an illustrious list of United players who have won the World Cup over the years, including Sir Bobby Charlton, Nobby Stiles, John Connelly and Paul Pogba.
A section of United fans will argue that Martínez deserves to lift football’s most coveted trophy more than Varane, due to the fact that the Frenchman already won one in 2018. However, Varane himself will relish the opportunity to become the first individual in football history. to win four Champions Leagues and two World Cups.
The data and statistics are very much in favor of the former Real Madrid being victorious and surpassing his United ally.
Varane has won 15 of the 17 finals he has participated in, with an impressive 88% success rate. The 29-year-old’s only defeats came in the 2014 Spanish Super Cup and the 2018 UEFA Super Cup.
The only saving grace for Martínez in this regard is that the last time Varane lost a final, the presiding referee was Szymon Marciniak. As fate would have it, Marciniak was the referee for Sunday’s game.
What is certain is that whoever emerges triumphant from the United duo will be a worthy winner who will pay off and deserve the title of World Champion.
