FIFA World Cup: Wayne Rooney backs 'working class' Argentina to beat France in final, give Lionel Messi perfect farewell

Argentina will hope to give Lionel Messi the perfect sendoff from the international stage when they take on France in the final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Lusail on Sunday.

And while defending world champions France, who had beaten Croatia in 2018 final and got past Morocco in the second semi-final of the ongoing tournament, are quite the formidable side, there are plenty backing the Lionel Scaloni-coached Argentina to come out on top against Les Bleus on Sunday, including English football legend Wayne Rooney.

Former Manchester United striker Rooney believes the “working-class” nature of the current Argentina side, where they are prepared to fight hard and give their all for their talismanic leader Messi, is what separates them from other teams as well as past Argentina teams.

“They are almost a working-class team, in the sense they’re stubborn, hard to beat, and they’ll fight — fight for Messi, fight to stay in a game knowing that if they do, their captain will win it for them. They are a team of scrappers who just don’t know how to give in,” Rooney said in his Sunday Times column.

Messi has enjoyed a brilliant run in the 2022 World Cup so far, scoring five goals along with three assists in six games, and the 35-year-old appears to be in the form of his life. Rooney, who represented England in three World Cups after making his international debut in 2003, compared him with the iconic Diego Maradona for his skills.

“He has what Diego Maradona had in terms of the ability to go past players and then execute the full range of skills — pass, shoot, cross — and he has everything in terms of vision. You saw it with the goal he set up for Julián Álvarez against Croatia,” added Rooney.

Messi had won his first major international title last year after Argentina beat Brazil in the final of the 2021 Copa America and the Paris Saint-Germain star, who has already announced his intention to retire from international football after the final against France, will hope to add the elusive World Cup to his collection in his last appearance for La Albiceleste.

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