Captains of the World (2023) s01e06 Episode Script
The Greatest
1
[commentator 1]
It's the climax of four years of football.
It's a World Cup Final.
[commentator 2] After 51 matches,
it now needs only one more
[commentator 3] Sunday, July the 11th.
- July the 15th.
- Sunday, 18th
[commentator 4] World Cup Final day.
[in Spanish] The World Cup Final
is the greatest show on earth.
[in English] You're about to be involved
in the biggest game of your career,
of your life.
[commentator 1] Camera crews
already taking up their positions
to send pictures around the world.
[in Italian] Getting to play
in the World Cup final,
nothing better could happen to you.
[commentator 2] What's a cup final
without brass bands and military music?
[Rossi in Italian] The world is watching
you, and that's an extraordinary feeling.
[commentator 3] The excitement is intense.
[cheering]
[Ronaldo Luís in Portuguese] This is
the highest level of achievement
for a football player.
[in French] If there's one match
that can change your life, it's this one.
[Brehme in German] It's eleven vs eleven.
Nobody else can help you anymore.
[in Danish] It's just
a completely unique thing.
[blows whistle]
[blows whistle]
[commentator 1] Early minutes,
tense and exploratory.
[Martinez]
We're all in some kind of bubble,
no matter whether our lives
are going very well or very badly.
It feels like our lives are on hold.
[commentator 2] Presidents and kings
will watch the game
but the attention of the world
will not be on them.
[cheering]
[commentator 3] Emotional.
[in Portuguese]
There can only be one winner.
[in English] You have to find a balance
between the pressure and happiness.
[crowd roaring]
[in French] Everyone plays
like their life depends on it.
[Kempes in Spanish] You never know
how things will turn out.
[Zidane in French]
These are precious moments.
[in English] These are moments
are just etched in your memory.
The margins in games
like this are very slim.
[commentator 4] To their supporters,
these are no longer mortal men.
They are gods.
The thing about World Cup finals,
it's very easy for things to go wrong.
So there's always that tension.
[Zidane] To win the World Cup,
you have to suffer.
[Aluko] The players
that let that pressure go
really become, you know,
the heroes of the World Cup.
[Puyol in Spanish]
It's the most beautiful cup.
When you hold it It's something special.
[indistinct commentary]
[commentator 1 in English]
Champions of the world!
[reporter] The day has arrived
for Argentina and France
as they prepare to go head to head
in the World Cup final this afternoon.
It's a game that's billed
as Lionel Messi against Kylian Mbappé
as two of the world's best
compete for football's top prize.
[Laurens] You're waiting for the time
to go and the time goes really slowly,
and you're like, "What time is it?"
There's still another five hours!"
They're two very strong squads
with momentum and confidence
Four hours
[in Spanish]
We've come to cheer you on! ♪
To become champions! ♪
Let's go!
Three hours to go,
I get into the locker room
to see what was going on.
[in English] Yes,
can you zoom in to Messi's shirt?
[in Spanish] Moments before
the World Cup Final,
we're here in Argentina's changing room.
[man 1] Welcome to the GameDay
World Cup podcast.
Big one the World Cup final.
[reporter] Today's outcome
is a career-defining moment.
[Laurens] This one was a step up.
It was something else.
This is all that matters now.
We're here to crash the party,
that's what we do.
We come, we crash the party,
we get the cup, we go home.
[Martinez in Spanish] On the day
of the final, the tension is huge.
It's the moment I'd dreamt of
since I set foot in Qatar.
[commentator 1 in English]
Across every continent
on the face of the globe,
to every lover of the game
wherever you are,
whatever time of day or night
Welcome.
It's a final that had everything.
[crowd cheering]
[commentator 1 in English]
This is the Lusail Stadium
and this is the final
of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
It is here,
and it is now that we establish
which of Argentina and France
will become
for the third time in either case
the champions of the world.
[Laurens] People are here to see Messi
lifting the World Cup.
[Varane in French] We keep calm
in everything we do,
we don't respond to provocation.
Keep our head in the game guys,
like machines.
Nothing is going to stop us today.
Come on, guys, it's happening
and we know what we want!
I see it in your eyes!
[Laurens in English] It's basically France
against the rest of the world.
[Messi in Spanish] We're in high spirits,
we've been feeling great
for several matches.
It's crucial to carry this with us
in order to start positively.
[commentator 1 in English]
And so the time is nigh.
[cheering]
Messi, Mbappé, and so much more.
Lionel Messi stares up at his final peak.
Kylian Mbappé prowls
in the foothills of greatness.
From the Andes to the Alps,
our planet unites
around its ultimate game.
[Messi in Spanish] They say you can't
touch it, or look at, or anything.
I could see it shining and
The trophy was calling out to me.
[cheering and singing]
It's very hard to explain
how you feel in that moment.
All that energy, everyone is so excited.
[referee blows whistle]
[commentator 1 in English] France again,
or Argentina at last.
Each for the right
to a third star on their national jersey.
[commentator 2] For Argentina,
there's so much expectation
to bring that trophy home
for Lionel Messi.
Can they live up to the occasion?
[in Spanish] We've come to cheer you on!
[commentator 1 in English]
That's a thick touch.
Álvarez Worth a pop!
[crowd roaring]
That is a foul on Adrien Rabiot.
[commentator 2] Didn't disguise that
too well, de Paul.
[commentator 1] Now Ángel Di María
Di María's cutback has reached
Rodrigo de Paul
De Paul strikes!
- [crowd exclaiming]
- The deflection from Varane flies wide.
Hernandez caught on it by de Paul,
and here is Messi,
and here's Rodrigo de Paul
Lionel Messi
Ángel Di María!
[crowd exclaiming]
It bobbled up in front of him.
Fernández
Rolled through for Di María,
touched on by Álvarez
Di María, away from Koundé
- [whistle blows]
- He's gone to ground!
He's got a penalty!
Di María went tumbling
and Argentina eye the first
massive opportunity of the night.
[reporter in Spanish] What message
would you send to the Argentinian fans?
[Messi] The same message as always.
We're as excited as they are.
We know what an effort they make
to be with us in every World Cup.
[Martinez] We've always needed
the idea of a savior.
We need a person
to hold on to and believe in.
We're always looking for it.
In 1982, there was the Falklands War,
where many Argentinians died
fighting for the cause.
Maradona wore the pain
of the fallen heroes as a flag
and he waved it at the World Cup.
[Messi] He loved the national team.
He was always there and always will be.
[indistinct chanting]
[Martinez] In the match against England
at the '86 World Cup,
he talked about the war
in the changing room.
He told his team to defend
not only the Argentine shirt,
but every hero who had fallen.
[commentator 3] Maradona's there,
rising above Shilton!
[Maradona in Spanish]
We had nothing to do with weapons.
We celebrated with the ball,
and with the fans.
[Martinez] In figures
like Messi and Maradona,
you see heroes capable of bringing joy
to an entire nation.
They're like a break from our lives,
which are often difficult.
Argentina's going through
very rough times.
How are so many of us hungry
in a country as rich as Argentina?
[Martinez] There's a lot of division.
Our salaries don't keep up with inflation.
We can't make ends meet!
It breaks my heart to see people
picking up things like cheese
and having to put it back down.
They can't afford to consume
the things they used to.
[Martinez] This World Cup is an escape
from that for everyone.
We only talk about football.
It creates a connection
between the people and the players
which has been very important
for our success.
[Emiliano] It's been really crazy.
People sold their cars
and remortgaged their homes
to buy tickets and get here.
[Scaloni] Leaving everything to be here.
We know the huge effort people make.
I hope we can bring them joy.
Lisandro
What are you feeling, Lisandro?
My grandma, my grandpa.
[sobbing]
Do you think they helped you today?
They're here with me.
[Scaloni] We play to honor them all.
You're making me emotional!
[Messi] We were doing everything
to make it happen.
They also suffer and live it just like us.
[commentator 1 in English]
Messi and the world
[referee blows whistle]
[crowd roaring]
Messi!
Perhaps his moment for infinity,
as if predestined.
[commentator 2] They deserve it,
don't they?
By far the better team so far.
Talk about a cool head.
France have not come to the party yet.
[crowd whistling]
[commentator 1] And there's Mbappé,
away from Romero but there's Fernández.
That's a large part of the job he does.
Messi
[commentator 2] Oh, lovely.
[commentator 1] Delightful. Álvarez
Here's Mac Allister!
Di María is the spare man
Ángel Di María!
- [crowd roaring]
- Glorious goal!
Argentine gold!
That is just beautiful!
- [yelling indistinctly]
- [inaudible]
[commentator 2] It's quite something,
this double substitution, isn't it?
[commentator 1] He is taking off Giroud,
he is taking off Dembélé.
[commentator 2]
They have to change it really.
I didn't expect it to happen
in the first half.
Decisive management from Deschamps.
[man in French]
We don't say "action" anymore.
Yeah, now we make a clap.
- Yes, exactly.
- I'll clap.
- Let's go.
- Let's go.
Yes.
Can you tell me about
the team's journey up to this point?
You mean our journey?
[Laurens in English] In the '80s,
it was so frustrating
to be a French football fan.
[commentator 3] For the French team,
there are only tears.
[in French] A World Cup
is always a long journey,
and it's never easy.
[Laurens in English]
They had those great players,
Alain Giresse, to Jean Tigana,
Michel Platini of course.
And yet, in the World Cup,
there was always something missing.
[commentator 2] Michel Platini lives
a moment of private hell
seen by a billion people
live around the world.
[Laurens] And it got even worse.
We didn't even qualify for the 1990
and the 1994 World Cups.
[French commentator 1] We are within ten
seconds of the end of the 90 minutes.
[French commentator 2]
And the French are in the lead.
Watch out!
Watch out for Kostadinov!
[French commentator 1] Yes!
Ten seconds from the end!
[French commentator 2] Wow!
[French commentator 1] It's the end.
[French commentator 2]
The tears of Didier Deschamps.
[Laurens in English] From that moment,
Deschamps was determined
to be the difference
and in 1998, he was appointed
the French captain.
[in French] We have the opportunity
to do something great for France
and French football.
[Laurens in English] He is ruthless.
He is driven.
He changed the whole dynamic.
[in French] Michel Platini
wasn't nice about you.
It's what I've been told.
He said you weren't a great player,
no spark.
He's jealous because
he never won the World Cup, right?
[commentator 1in English] Dismissed by
a former teammate as a water carrier
A water carrier no more.
[Laurens] In 2012, Deschamps came back,
this time as a manager.
[in French] There is one mission,
and that is to go to the World Cup.
[commentator 2 in English]
The Deschamps double is complete!
In 1998, he lifted it.
Twenty years on,
he will see it lifted for him.
The trophy is returning
to the land of Jules Rimet!
The experience counts.
The know-how counts.
[commentator 1] With a great cross
And a goal!
[in French] We are living the dream!
We must fight together!
La la la la la la ♪
[French commentator]
Strike from Tchouaméni
[Laurens] This is a ruthless team
with cohesion, team spirit, strength.
It's a French team built in his own image.
[in French] I've played with the Blues for
a long time, but this moment is the best!
[Deschamps] One more time, bravo.
You are where you wanted to be.
And you deserve it, boys.
[Laurens in English] And yet, this game,
it's the shadow of the French team
that we've seen in the tournament.
[commentator 1] Half time,
and Argentina have a hand on it.
[in French] Guys, I'll try to tell you
this without getting angry.
Do you know the difference?
It's only those guys we're up against
who are playing a fucking World Cup final!
And we're not!
[commentator 2 in English] This whole game
so far, they don't have an identity,
a style of play, a brand of football.
That's the way it looks.
Before we've been ruthless,
but there's been nothing of that tonight.
There's not much Deschamps can do now.
He said to the players
what he had to say.
Now one of them has to step up
and take control of this final.
[in French]
This is an easy final for them.
It's a World Cup final, okay?
The game of a lifetime.
We can't do worse than what we did.
We can't do worse than that.
When we go back on,
we let them have it easy,
or we play with more intensity,
we go in to fight
and show another side, guys.
We can still catch up, guys!
It's a World Cup final!
[Deschamps] I don't think people have
the right perception of Kylian.
On the pitch,
he takes things into his own hands.
But that doesn't mean he's selfish.
Though he's an attacker,
he always thinks about the team.
Let's go! Through to the knockout stages!
That's the first part done.
We have to keep winning. Let's go.
I'm tired.
[Deschamps] Just by his actions,
he's a driving force.
But he depends on his teammates.
Understood?
[shouting indistinctly]
[Mbappé] I think I have a voice that's
heard in the dressing room.
All you have to do is use it wisely.
Let's go, let's go!
[player 1 in Spanish]
Let's go, let's go, let's go!
[crowd cheering]
[speaking indistinctly in Spanish]
[commentator 1 in English]
Argentina re-emerge.
It is theirs.
It is theirs to keep,
theirs not to let slip
Or Mbappé and France must find something,
to reinfuse those fans with hope.
[referee blows whistle]
[French commentator 1]
The second half starts now,
and we're waiting
for the French team to wake up.
[commentator 1 in English]
Didier Deschamps, 103 caps as a player,
this his 139th game as a coach.
The 242nd time he has gone
into battle for France.
Sifted through by Messi,
taken up by Di María
and set for de Paul!
[commentator 3 in Spanish]
Very good pressure in midfield.
Not allowing the French team to breathe.
[commentator 1 in English] Time ticks.
Time ticks towards
Buenos Aires ticker tape.
Di María
Forcing Koundé back, tying him in knots.
Di María
Allowed to run!
[crowd exclaiming]
The little fellow was tiptoeing in behind!
Mbappé
Conjuring a bit now,
driving through and firing high.
[French commentator 1]
It's the very first French shot
after 70 minutes of the match.
[commentator 1 in English] Mbappé
Have to get a grip on this game
all by himself.
Kylian. Kylian.
[commentator 1] Around Fernández,
but not the immaculate Romero.
[French commentator 2] Difficult 'cause
France doesn't seem capable of reacting.
That's what worries me the most.
You have 11 Argentinian players,
hyper motivated,
off the leash, without any doubt.
We have some French players
that are dead, let's be honest.
They're absent. They're not here.
[commentator 1] Kolo Muani
has got into the box!
- [whistle blows]
- Got a penalty!
[French commentator 1]
Penalty for France!
A penalty for the French team!
Let's see. We never know.
[commentator 1 in English]
So hold on! Just hold on!
[crowd whistling]
His name is Kylian.
[French commentators 1]
This is the moment to focus.
The hope is at the end of his boots.
[referee blows whistle]
[crowd roaring]
Yes, there you go! Let's go!
It's a start.
Only 10 minutes left
of this World Cup final!
[commentator 1 in English]
A superstar re-enlivens!
A nation re-infused with hope!
These minutes will last a lifetime.
[French commentator 2]
France back from nowhere.
There's still a goal difference,
but still, when there's life,
there's hope.
Now we only have ten minutes left to play!
[Mbappé] My first obsession is winning.
It's the goal, the objective.
When you represent your country,
you're always hungry to win titles,
to leave your name in history.
We know we're able to be strong.
Now we have to show it.
[French commentator 2] It would be crazy,
but for now it's real.
That Mbappé penalty
gave us back some hope.
[commentator 1 in English]
Slung forward by Upamecano.
Out by Otamendi.
[Mbappé] You have to be confident
in your ability
and execute.
[French commentator] Messi has the ball
now, inside the Argentine half.
- Coman steals the ball.
- Come on!
Coman opens up some space,
cuts back into the midfield
He has to get back.
Rabiot controls and puts it through
to Kylian Mbappé Thuram!
Go on, Kylian! Go on, Kylian!
Oh, wow!
[commentator 1 in English]
He is an awesome force of nature!
[French commentator 1]
Exceptional! Kylian Mbappé!
[cheering]
[commentator 1 in English]
Brutal, and brilliant!
97 seconds between Mbappé's penalty
and his ferocious volley.
[Messi in Spanish] It was
a difficult moment in every sense.
Everything happens so fast.
[French commentator 1]
Everything is possible now.
We could become world champions,
let me tell you that.
[commentator 1 in English]
It's two each in the World Cup final!
[Emiliano in Spanish] We never imagined
that in five minutes,
the situation was going to be reversed
and the game would get
so difficult for us.
It was a real shock.
[Allister] We stumbled and felt
that all our efforts had been pointless
because we were back to square one.
[commentator 1 in English] Now we are
seven minutes from extra time.
Here's Mbappé, explosive Kylian Mbappé!
- [whistle blows]
- It's deflected up and over.
[commentator 3 in Spanish]
There goes Messi!
[commentator 1 in English]
What a reach by Lloris!
[referee blows whistle]
[commentator 1]
The script was seemingly written,
the die was seemingly cast.
It was going to be Messi's
World Cup final,
but Mbappé ripped up that script
and contends that instead, it can be his.
[Messi in Spanish] It's hard to explain
what I felt at the time.
[in French] There's no point splitting up
when we have four up front.
From time to time,
play long, to mix it up.
But above all, don't give them the ball.
Come on! Let's go!
[indistinct shouting]
[crowd cheering]
[referee blows whistle]
[commentator 1 in English] At some point,
there has to be the defining moment.
Mbappé
Three of them at him.
Eventually he is dispossessed.
[inaudible]
Kolo Muani
Tripped in the presence of Fernández,
went in to try and win it back.
[commentator 3 in Spanish]
Messi gives Mac Allister a great ball!
Lautaro Martínez with the chance!
[commentator 1] Montiel!
[commentator 2] We've hardly seen Lionel
Messi for the past 20 minutes or so.
All of a sudden he bursts into life.
[man 1 in Spanish] What is Lionel Messi
really good at in real life?
In real life?
What do I know?
I know you love talking
about yourself, that's why I'm asking.
I don't know,
I really don't know what I'm good at.
[man 2 in Spanish]
What's that thing behind you?
I was given this one
at the end of the year.
This one is to the best player,
from Italy,
for player of the tournament.
[commentator 1] Messi
[man 2] How old are you?
Sixteen years old.
- And you have all these?
- Yes.
[commentator 1 in English]
And fed de Paul
One more is Messi.
Messi sought to wriggle himself
Half time extra time,
and we remain on edge.
[man 1] If you had that young man
in front of you now,
what advice would you give him?
[Messi] Same thing I was told at the time,
to enjoy football,
keep doing what you always do,
because that's what matters the most,
and the rest will come.
God knows what he's doing
and why he's doing it.
[commentator 1] Messi
The element of surprise.
[chanting indistinctly]
First, to play for my national team,
and then to win the World Cup.
I would love that.
[commentator 1] Montiel
Lautaro Martínez
Lionel Messi Fernández!
Martínez!
Messi!
[commentator 3 in Spanish] Messi scores!
[cheering]
[commentator 1 in English] The little
magic man from right on the line!
An embrace of disbelief!
Lionel Messi is conquering his final peak
in front of the whole wide world.
Was it written? Can it be?
See the tears. Feel the emotion.
Imagine how it is
in Messi's hometown of Rosario
[all cheering]
[commentator 1] Five minutes to play.
[referee blows whistle]
In by Coman
- Handball.
- Shout for handball
- Handball!
- [commentator 1] He hasn't, has he?
[French commentator 1] Penalty!
Penalty for France!
[commentator 1 in English]
And the referee has awarded a penalty
in the 117th minute.
[commentator 3 in Spanish] Kylian Mbappé
will take it to level the match.
[commentator 1 in English] Moments remain
of an epic World Cup final.
[referee blows whistle]
[inaudible]
[commentator 1] Into the galaxy of greats!
[French commentator 1]
Kylian Mbappé has scored three!
Three each for Argentina and France!
[commentator 1 in English]
France, alive again!
This is epic and some!
[inaudible]
One of the greatest football matches ever.
A minute of it left.
Is there time for one more?
France drive
Mbappé drives
In by Mbappé Kolo Muani!
[Emiliano in Spanish]
It was almost full-time.
And it fell to their striker
in the middle of the box,
I thought, "Please hit me."
[commentator 1] Forward by Konaté
Kolo Muani!
What a stop!
What a stop by Martínez!
Dybala, they could counter here,
Argentina. It's Messi!
[commentator 3 in Spanish]
Here comes Messi.
Montiel's running,
what if Argentina snatch it?
Here comes the cross
Lautaro Martínez heads it wide!
[referee blows whistle]
[commentator 1 in English]
What can you say but thank you
for surely
one of the greatest football matches
that has ever been played.
But now, nobody knows.
Argentina 3, France 3.
Penalties. My my.
[indistinct announcement over PA]
[Emiliano in Spanish] To be honest,
I didn't really enjoy extra time.
I was like, "This can't be happening."
But the game ended.
[referee] First, we choose the goal.
This one or this one, okay?
The ball is this side.
The pitch is this side.
The pitch.
[commentator 1] Penalties will be taken
at Argentina's favored end.
[Emiliano in Spanish]
Goalkeeping is all in your mind.
It's about visualizing what will happen.
[crowd roaring]
The box is mine.
It's my box, it's my place.
[commentator 1] The last big
French penalty shootout
was at the European Championships
last summer and they lost to Switzerland
because Kylian Mbappé failed against
Yann Sommer with their final penalty.
This time, having twice already scored
from the spot,
and three times in all having scored,
Mbappé steps up first.
And Mbappé rattles it in!
[crowd roaring]
On his day of no error.
[commentator 2] Interesting that
the two top men are going first.
[commentator 1] Messi went first
against Netherlands.
He went first also
in last summer's Copa América
in Brasília against Colombia
in the semi-final
and on both occasions he scored.
[commentator 3 in Spanish]
Messi goes first.
The two great stars of this World Cup.
Against Hugo Lloris.
Argentina's captain
to take the first penalty.
[whistle blows]
Here comes Messi with his run-up,
he slows down and scores!
[crowd roaring]
[crowd whistling]
[commentator 1 in English]
Next up is Kingsley Coman.
Ear-splitting whistles.
[referee blows whistle]
Coman
Great stop!
[crowd roaring]
Martínez is punching the air again!
Massive character, massive moment!
[commentator 2] That's twice
he's guessed right.
With Mbappé, he couldn't do much about it.
He could with this one.
[in Spanish] Come on, Argentina!
It's happening today!
[commentator 1 in English]
Paulo Dybala came off the bench
with this kick of the ball in mind.
[referee blows whistle]
[commentator 3 in Spanish]
Dybala scores for Argentina!
[commentator 4]
Slotted it down the middle.
He waited for the goalkeeper to dive.
[commentator 1] Some can barely watch.
Aurélien Tchouaméni
Martínez is trying to get in his head.
He hasn't helped
with the return of the ball.
He will do what it takes.
Not a nail left to be chewed.
- [crowd whistling]
- [referee blows whistle]
Tchouaméni has dragged it wide!
[cheering]
And Argentina are on the cusp!
[commentator 2] He thrives on these
situations, Martínez.
He really does.
[commentator 1] Paredes, to take Argentina
to match point.
[blows whistle]
- Firm, low, telling!
- [crowd roaring]
Nearly there! So very nearly there!
[yelling indistinctly]
And France's margin for error
is now zero.
[commentator 2] Here we go.
Trying everything there, Martínez.
Trying to have a word with his man.
Ref pushing him back.
This is Kolo Muani
- [referee blows whistle]
- Nowhere to hide.
He must
He has.
[Messi in Spanish] I was praying to God,
as I've always done my entire life,
I pray to God about everything.
I was asking God to let him score,
so it would be over.
[commentator 1 in English]
A long, lonely walk
for Gonzalo Montiel.
Didn't start the game.
He can finish it.
[referee blows whistle]
You sleep ♪
But your soul, your soul ain't sound ♪
You scream ♪
'Cause you know it's a long way down ♪
You'll reach ♪
But your feet never left the ground ♪
Tell somebody ♪
Please ♪
Please ♪
Please ♪
Tell somebody ♪
[Martinez in Spanish] It's as if someone
had written a story
with the best possible ending,
with the most extraordinary ending,
with the happiest ending.
Please ♪
Please ♪
Please, please ♪
[roaring]
[commentator 1 in English]
Argentina, champions of the world!
And a nation will tango all night long!
[all cheering]
[in Spanish] Argentina
are champions of the world!
[all cheering]
[Messi] My dream was to win
something with the national team,
and in the end,
I was lucky enough to win it all.
Reaching the end, finishing like this
I couldn't ask for more.
[commentator 1 in English] The little boy
from Rosario, Santa Fe,
has just pitched up in heaven.
[in Spanish] And Diego,
we can see him up in heaven ♪
[upbeat music playing]
[all cheering]
[indistinct shouting]
She's the grandma of Messi!
She's the grandma of Messi! ♪
[all cheering]
[commentator 1]
It's the climax of four years of football.
It's a World Cup Final.
[commentator 2] After 51 matches,
it now needs only one more
[commentator 3] Sunday, July the 11th.
- July the 15th.
- Sunday, 18th
[commentator 4] World Cup Final day.
[in Spanish] The World Cup Final
is the greatest show on earth.
[in English] You're about to be involved
in the biggest game of your career,
of your life.
[commentator 1] Camera crews
already taking up their positions
to send pictures around the world.
[in Italian] Getting to play
in the World Cup final,
nothing better could happen to you.
[commentator 2] What's a cup final
without brass bands and military music?
[Rossi in Italian] The world is watching
you, and that's an extraordinary feeling.
[commentator 3] The excitement is intense.
[cheering]
[Ronaldo Luís in Portuguese] This is
the highest level of achievement
for a football player.
[in French] If there's one match
that can change your life, it's this one.
[Brehme in German] It's eleven vs eleven.
Nobody else can help you anymore.
[in Danish] It's just
a completely unique thing.
[blows whistle]
[blows whistle]
[commentator 1] Early minutes,
tense and exploratory.
[Martinez]
We're all in some kind of bubble,
no matter whether our lives
are going very well or very badly.
It feels like our lives are on hold.
[commentator 2] Presidents and kings
will watch the game
but the attention of the world
will not be on them.
[cheering]
[commentator 3] Emotional.
[in Portuguese]
There can only be one winner.
[in English] You have to find a balance
between the pressure and happiness.
[crowd roaring]
[in French] Everyone plays
like their life depends on it.
[Kempes in Spanish] You never know
how things will turn out.
[Zidane in French]
These are precious moments.
[in English] These are moments
are just etched in your memory.
The margins in games
like this are very slim.
[commentator 4] To their supporters,
these are no longer mortal men.
They are gods.
The thing about World Cup finals,
it's very easy for things to go wrong.
So there's always that tension.
[Zidane] To win the World Cup,
you have to suffer.
[Aluko] The players
that let that pressure go
really become, you know,
the heroes of the World Cup.
[Puyol in Spanish]
It's the most beautiful cup.
When you hold it It's something special.
[indistinct commentary]
[commentator 1 in English]
Champions of the world!
[reporter] The day has arrived
for Argentina and France
as they prepare to go head to head
in the World Cup final this afternoon.
It's a game that's billed
as Lionel Messi against Kylian Mbappé
as two of the world's best
compete for football's top prize.
[Laurens] You're waiting for the time
to go and the time goes really slowly,
and you're like, "What time is it?"
There's still another five hours!"
They're two very strong squads
with momentum and confidence
Four hours
[in Spanish]
We've come to cheer you on! ♪
To become champions! ♪
Let's go!
Three hours to go,
I get into the locker room
to see what was going on.
[in English] Yes,
can you zoom in to Messi's shirt?
[in Spanish] Moments before
the World Cup Final,
we're here in Argentina's changing room.
[man 1] Welcome to the GameDay
World Cup podcast.
Big one the World Cup final.
[reporter] Today's outcome
is a career-defining moment.
[Laurens] This one was a step up.
It was something else.
This is all that matters now.
We're here to crash the party,
that's what we do.
We come, we crash the party,
we get the cup, we go home.
[Martinez in Spanish] On the day
of the final, the tension is huge.
It's the moment I'd dreamt of
since I set foot in Qatar.
[commentator 1 in English]
Across every continent
on the face of the globe,
to every lover of the game
wherever you are,
whatever time of day or night
Welcome.
It's a final that had everything.
[crowd cheering]
[commentator 1 in English]
This is the Lusail Stadium
and this is the final
of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
It is here,
and it is now that we establish
which of Argentina and France
will become
for the third time in either case
the champions of the world.
[Laurens] People are here to see Messi
lifting the World Cup.
[Varane in French] We keep calm
in everything we do,
we don't respond to provocation.
Keep our head in the game guys,
like machines.
Nothing is going to stop us today.
Come on, guys, it's happening
and we know what we want!
I see it in your eyes!
[Laurens in English] It's basically France
against the rest of the world.
[Messi in Spanish] We're in high spirits,
we've been feeling great
for several matches.
It's crucial to carry this with us
in order to start positively.
[commentator 1 in English]
And so the time is nigh.
[cheering]
Messi, Mbappé, and so much more.
Lionel Messi stares up at his final peak.
Kylian Mbappé prowls
in the foothills of greatness.
From the Andes to the Alps,
our planet unites
around its ultimate game.
[Messi in Spanish] They say you can't
touch it, or look at, or anything.
I could see it shining and
The trophy was calling out to me.
[cheering and singing]
It's very hard to explain
how you feel in that moment.
All that energy, everyone is so excited.
[referee blows whistle]
[commentator 1 in English] France again,
or Argentina at last.
Each for the right
to a third star on their national jersey.
[commentator 2] For Argentina,
there's so much expectation
to bring that trophy home
for Lionel Messi.
Can they live up to the occasion?
[in Spanish] We've come to cheer you on!
[commentator 1 in English]
That's a thick touch.
Álvarez Worth a pop!
[crowd roaring]
That is a foul on Adrien Rabiot.
[commentator 2] Didn't disguise that
too well, de Paul.
[commentator 1] Now Ángel Di María
Di María's cutback has reached
Rodrigo de Paul
De Paul strikes!
- [crowd exclaiming]
- The deflection from Varane flies wide.
Hernandez caught on it by de Paul,
and here is Messi,
and here's Rodrigo de Paul
Lionel Messi
Ángel Di María!
[crowd exclaiming]
It bobbled up in front of him.
Fernández
Rolled through for Di María,
touched on by Álvarez
Di María, away from Koundé
- [whistle blows]
- He's gone to ground!
He's got a penalty!
Di María went tumbling
and Argentina eye the first
massive opportunity of the night.
[reporter in Spanish] What message
would you send to the Argentinian fans?
[Messi] The same message as always.
We're as excited as they are.
We know what an effort they make
to be with us in every World Cup.
[Martinez] We've always needed
the idea of a savior.
We need a person
to hold on to and believe in.
We're always looking for it.
In 1982, there was the Falklands War,
where many Argentinians died
fighting for the cause.
Maradona wore the pain
of the fallen heroes as a flag
and he waved it at the World Cup.
[Messi] He loved the national team.
He was always there and always will be.
[indistinct chanting]
[Martinez] In the match against England
at the '86 World Cup,
he talked about the war
in the changing room.
He told his team to defend
not only the Argentine shirt,
but every hero who had fallen.
[commentator 3] Maradona's there,
rising above Shilton!
[Maradona in Spanish]
We had nothing to do with weapons.
We celebrated with the ball,
and with the fans.
[Martinez] In figures
like Messi and Maradona,
you see heroes capable of bringing joy
to an entire nation.
They're like a break from our lives,
which are often difficult.
Argentina's going through
very rough times.
How are so many of us hungry
in a country as rich as Argentina?
[Martinez] There's a lot of division.
Our salaries don't keep up with inflation.
We can't make ends meet!
It breaks my heart to see people
picking up things like cheese
and having to put it back down.
They can't afford to consume
the things they used to.
[Martinez] This World Cup is an escape
from that for everyone.
We only talk about football.
It creates a connection
between the people and the players
which has been very important
for our success.
[Emiliano] It's been really crazy.
People sold their cars
and remortgaged their homes
to buy tickets and get here.
[Scaloni] Leaving everything to be here.
We know the huge effort people make.
I hope we can bring them joy.
Lisandro
What are you feeling, Lisandro?
My grandma, my grandpa.
[sobbing]
Do you think they helped you today?
They're here with me.
[Scaloni] We play to honor them all.
You're making me emotional!
[Messi] We were doing everything
to make it happen.
They also suffer and live it just like us.
[commentator 1 in English]
Messi and the world
[referee blows whistle]
[crowd roaring]
Messi!
Perhaps his moment for infinity,
as if predestined.
[commentator 2] They deserve it,
don't they?
By far the better team so far.
Talk about a cool head.
France have not come to the party yet.
[crowd whistling]
[commentator 1] And there's Mbappé,
away from Romero but there's Fernández.
That's a large part of the job he does.
Messi
[commentator 2] Oh, lovely.
[commentator 1] Delightful. Álvarez
Here's Mac Allister!
Di María is the spare man
Ángel Di María!
- [crowd roaring]
- Glorious goal!
Argentine gold!
That is just beautiful!
- [yelling indistinctly]
- [inaudible]
[commentator 2] It's quite something,
this double substitution, isn't it?
[commentator 1] He is taking off Giroud,
he is taking off Dembélé.
[commentator 2]
They have to change it really.
I didn't expect it to happen
in the first half.
Decisive management from Deschamps.
[man in French]
We don't say "action" anymore.
Yeah, now we make a clap.
- Yes, exactly.
- I'll clap.
- Let's go.
- Let's go.
Yes.
Can you tell me about
the team's journey up to this point?
You mean our journey?
[Laurens in English] In the '80s,
it was so frustrating
to be a French football fan.
[commentator 3] For the French team,
there are only tears.
[in French] A World Cup
is always a long journey,
and it's never easy.
[Laurens in English]
They had those great players,
Alain Giresse, to Jean Tigana,
Michel Platini of course.
And yet, in the World Cup,
there was always something missing.
[commentator 2] Michel Platini lives
a moment of private hell
seen by a billion people
live around the world.
[Laurens] And it got even worse.
We didn't even qualify for the 1990
and the 1994 World Cups.
[French commentator 1] We are within ten
seconds of the end of the 90 minutes.
[French commentator 2]
And the French are in the lead.
Watch out!
Watch out for Kostadinov!
[French commentator 1] Yes!
Ten seconds from the end!
[French commentator 2] Wow!
[French commentator 1] It's the end.
[French commentator 2]
The tears of Didier Deschamps.
[Laurens in English] From that moment,
Deschamps was determined
to be the difference
and in 1998, he was appointed
the French captain.
[in French] We have the opportunity
to do something great for France
and French football.
[Laurens in English] He is ruthless.
He is driven.
He changed the whole dynamic.
[in French] Michel Platini
wasn't nice about you.
It's what I've been told.
He said you weren't a great player,
no spark.
He's jealous because
he never won the World Cup, right?
[commentator 1in English] Dismissed by
a former teammate as a water carrier
A water carrier no more.
[Laurens] In 2012, Deschamps came back,
this time as a manager.
[in French] There is one mission,
and that is to go to the World Cup.
[commentator 2 in English]
The Deschamps double is complete!
In 1998, he lifted it.
Twenty years on,
he will see it lifted for him.
The trophy is returning
to the land of Jules Rimet!
The experience counts.
The know-how counts.
[commentator 1] With a great cross
And a goal!
[in French] We are living the dream!
We must fight together!
La la la la la la ♪
[French commentator]
Strike from Tchouaméni
[Laurens] This is a ruthless team
with cohesion, team spirit, strength.
It's a French team built in his own image.
[in French] I've played with the Blues for
a long time, but this moment is the best!
[Deschamps] One more time, bravo.
You are where you wanted to be.
And you deserve it, boys.
[Laurens in English] And yet, this game,
it's the shadow of the French team
that we've seen in the tournament.
[commentator 1] Half time,
and Argentina have a hand on it.
[in French] Guys, I'll try to tell you
this without getting angry.
Do you know the difference?
It's only those guys we're up against
who are playing a fucking World Cup final!
And we're not!
[commentator 2 in English] This whole game
so far, they don't have an identity,
a style of play, a brand of football.
That's the way it looks.
Before we've been ruthless,
but there's been nothing of that tonight.
There's not much Deschamps can do now.
He said to the players
what he had to say.
Now one of them has to step up
and take control of this final.
[in French]
This is an easy final for them.
It's a World Cup final, okay?
The game of a lifetime.
We can't do worse than what we did.
We can't do worse than that.
When we go back on,
we let them have it easy,
or we play with more intensity,
we go in to fight
and show another side, guys.
We can still catch up, guys!
It's a World Cup final!
[Deschamps] I don't think people have
the right perception of Kylian.
On the pitch,
he takes things into his own hands.
But that doesn't mean he's selfish.
Though he's an attacker,
he always thinks about the team.
Let's go! Through to the knockout stages!
That's the first part done.
We have to keep winning. Let's go.
I'm tired.
[Deschamps] Just by his actions,
he's a driving force.
But he depends on his teammates.
Understood?
[shouting indistinctly]
[Mbappé] I think I have a voice that's
heard in the dressing room.
All you have to do is use it wisely.
Let's go, let's go!
[player 1 in Spanish]
Let's go, let's go, let's go!
[crowd cheering]
[speaking indistinctly in Spanish]
[commentator 1 in English]
Argentina re-emerge.
It is theirs.
It is theirs to keep,
theirs not to let slip
Or Mbappé and France must find something,
to reinfuse those fans with hope.
[referee blows whistle]
[French commentator 1]
The second half starts now,
and we're waiting
for the French team to wake up.
[commentator 1 in English]
Didier Deschamps, 103 caps as a player,
this his 139th game as a coach.
The 242nd time he has gone
into battle for France.
Sifted through by Messi,
taken up by Di María
and set for de Paul!
[commentator 3 in Spanish]
Very good pressure in midfield.
Not allowing the French team to breathe.
[commentator 1 in English] Time ticks.
Time ticks towards
Buenos Aires ticker tape.
Di María
Forcing Koundé back, tying him in knots.
Di María
Allowed to run!
[crowd exclaiming]
The little fellow was tiptoeing in behind!
Mbappé
Conjuring a bit now,
driving through and firing high.
[French commentator 1]
It's the very first French shot
after 70 minutes of the match.
[commentator 1 in English] Mbappé
Have to get a grip on this game
all by himself.
Kylian. Kylian.
[commentator 1] Around Fernández,
but not the immaculate Romero.
[French commentator 2] Difficult 'cause
France doesn't seem capable of reacting.
That's what worries me the most.
You have 11 Argentinian players,
hyper motivated,
off the leash, without any doubt.
We have some French players
that are dead, let's be honest.
They're absent. They're not here.
[commentator 1] Kolo Muani
has got into the box!
- [whistle blows]
- Got a penalty!
[French commentator 1]
Penalty for France!
A penalty for the French team!
Let's see. We never know.
[commentator 1 in English]
So hold on! Just hold on!
[crowd whistling]
His name is Kylian.
[French commentators 1]
This is the moment to focus.
The hope is at the end of his boots.
[referee blows whistle]
[crowd roaring]
Yes, there you go! Let's go!
It's a start.
Only 10 minutes left
of this World Cup final!
[commentator 1 in English]
A superstar re-enlivens!
A nation re-infused with hope!
These minutes will last a lifetime.
[French commentator 2]
France back from nowhere.
There's still a goal difference,
but still, when there's life,
there's hope.
Now we only have ten minutes left to play!
[Mbappé] My first obsession is winning.
It's the goal, the objective.
When you represent your country,
you're always hungry to win titles,
to leave your name in history.
We know we're able to be strong.
Now we have to show it.
[French commentator 2] It would be crazy,
but for now it's real.
That Mbappé penalty
gave us back some hope.
[commentator 1 in English]
Slung forward by Upamecano.
Out by Otamendi.
[Mbappé] You have to be confident
in your ability
and execute.
[French commentator] Messi has the ball
now, inside the Argentine half.
- Coman steals the ball.
- Come on!
Coman opens up some space,
cuts back into the midfield
He has to get back.
Rabiot controls and puts it through
to Kylian Mbappé Thuram!
Go on, Kylian! Go on, Kylian!
Oh, wow!
[commentator 1 in English]
He is an awesome force of nature!
[French commentator 1]
Exceptional! Kylian Mbappé!
[cheering]
[commentator 1 in English]
Brutal, and brilliant!
97 seconds between Mbappé's penalty
and his ferocious volley.
[Messi in Spanish] It was
a difficult moment in every sense.
Everything happens so fast.
[French commentator 1]
Everything is possible now.
We could become world champions,
let me tell you that.
[commentator 1 in English]
It's two each in the World Cup final!
[Emiliano in Spanish] We never imagined
that in five minutes,
the situation was going to be reversed
and the game would get
so difficult for us.
It was a real shock.
[Allister] We stumbled and felt
that all our efforts had been pointless
because we were back to square one.
[commentator 1 in English] Now we are
seven minutes from extra time.
Here's Mbappé, explosive Kylian Mbappé!
- [whistle blows]
- It's deflected up and over.
[commentator 3 in Spanish]
There goes Messi!
[commentator 1 in English]
What a reach by Lloris!
[referee blows whistle]
[commentator 1]
The script was seemingly written,
the die was seemingly cast.
It was going to be Messi's
World Cup final,
but Mbappé ripped up that script
and contends that instead, it can be his.
[Messi in Spanish] It's hard to explain
what I felt at the time.
[in French] There's no point splitting up
when we have four up front.
From time to time,
play long, to mix it up.
But above all, don't give them the ball.
Come on! Let's go!
[indistinct shouting]
[crowd cheering]
[referee blows whistle]
[commentator 1 in English] At some point,
there has to be the defining moment.
Mbappé
Three of them at him.
Eventually he is dispossessed.
[inaudible]
Kolo Muani
Tripped in the presence of Fernández,
went in to try and win it back.
[commentator 3 in Spanish]
Messi gives Mac Allister a great ball!
Lautaro Martínez with the chance!
[commentator 1] Montiel!
[commentator 2] We've hardly seen Lionel
Messi for the past 20 minutes or so.
All of a sudden he bursts into life.
[man 1 in Spanish] What is Lionel Messi
really good at in real life?
In real life?
What do I know?
I know you love talking
about yourself, that's why I'm asking.
I don't know,
I really don't know what I'm good at.
[man 2 in Spanish]
What's that thing behind you?
I was given this one
at the end of the year.
This one is to the best player,
from Italy,
for player of the tournament.
[commentator 1] Messi
[man 2] How old are you?
Sixteen years old.
- And you have all these?
- Yes.
[commentator 1 in English]
And fed de Paul
One more is Messi.
Messi sought to wriggle himself
Half time extra time,
and we remain on edge.
[man 1] If you had that young man
in front of you now,
what advice would you give him?
[Messi] Same thing I was told at the time,
to enjoy football,
keep doing what you always do,
because that's what matters the most,
and the rest will come.
God knows what he's doing
and why he's doing it.
[commentator 1] Messi
The element of surprise.
[chanting indistinctly]
First, to play for my national team,
and then to win the World Cup.
I would love that.
[commentator 1] Montiel
Lautaro Martínez
Lionel Messi Fernández!
Martínez!
Messi!
[commentator 3 in Spanish] Messi scores!
[cheering]
[commentator 1 in English] The little
magic man from right on the line!
An embrace of disbelief!
Lionel Messi is conquering his final peak
in front of the whole wide world.
Was it written? Can it be?
See the tears. Feel the emotion.
Imagine how it is
in Messi's hometown of Rosario
[all cheering]
[commentator 1] Five minutes to play.
[referee blows whistle]
In by Coman
- Handball.
- Shout for handball
- Handball!
- [commentator 1] He hasn't, has he?
[French commentator 1] Penalty!
Penalty for France!
[commentator 1 in English]
And the referee has awarded a penalty
in the 117th minute.
[commentator 3 in Spanish] Kylian Mbappé
will take it to level the match.
[commentator 1 in English] Moments remain
of an epic World Cup final.
[referee blows whistle]
[inaudible]
[commentator 1] Into the galaxy of greats!
[French commentator 1]
Kylian Mbappé has scored three!
Three each for Argentina and France!
[commentator 1 in English]
France, alive again!
This is epic and some!
[inaudible]
One of the greatest football matches ever.
A minute of it left.
Is there time for one more?
France drive
Mbappé drives
In by Mbappé Kolo Muani!
[Emiliano in Spanish]
It was almost full-time.
And it fell to their striker
in the middle of the box,
I thought, "Please hit me."
[commentator 1] Forward by Konaté
Kolo Muani!
What a stop!
What a stop by Martínez!
Dybala, they could counter here,
Argentina. It's Messi!
[commentator 3 in Spanish]
Here comes Messi.
Montiel's running,
what if Argentina snatch it?
Here comes the cross
Lautaro Martínez heads it wide!
[referee blows whistle]
[commentator 1 in English]
What can you say but thank you
for surely
one of the greatest football matches
that has ever been played.
But now, nobody knows.
Argentina 3, France 3.
Penalties. My my.
[indistinct announcement over PA]
[Emiliano in Spanish] To be honest,
I didn't really enjoy extra time.
I was like, "This can't be happening."
But the game ended.
[referee] First, we choose the goal.
This one or this one, okay?
The ball is this side.
The pitch is this side.
The pitch.
[commentator 1] Penalties will be taken
at Argentina's favored end.
[Emiliano in Spanish]
Goalkeeping is all in your mind.
It's about visualizing what will happen.
[crowd roaring]
The box is mine.
It's my box, it's my place.
[commentator 1] The last big
French penalty shootout
was at the European Championships
last summer and they lost to Switzerland
because Kylian Mbappé failed against
Yann Sommer with their final penalty.
This time, having twice already scored
from the spot,
and three times in all having scored,
Mbappé steps up first.
And Mbappé rattles it in!
[crowd roaring]
On his day of no error.
[commentator 2] Interesting that
the two top men are going first.
[commentator 1] Messi went first
against Netherlands.
He went first also
in last summer's Copa América
in Brasília against Colombia
in the semi-final
and on both occasions he scored.
[commentator 3 in Spanish]
Messi goes first.
The two great stars of this World Cup.
Against Hugo Lloris.
Argentina's captain
to take the first penalty.
[whistle blows]
Here comes Messi with his run-up,
he slows down and scores!
[crowd roaring]
[crowd whistling]
[commentator 1 in English]
Next up is Kingsley Coman.
Ear-splitting whistles.
[referee blows whistle]
Coman
Great stop!
[crowd roaring]
Martínez is punching the air again!
Massive character, massive moment!
[commentator 2] That's twice
he's guessed right.
With Mbappé, he couldn't do much about it.
He could with this one.
[in Spanish] Come on, Argentina!
It's happening today!
[commentator 1 in English]
Paulo Dybala came off the bench
with this kick of the ball in mind.
[referee blows whistle]
[commentator 3 in Spanish]
Dybala scores for Argentina!
[commentator 4]
Slotted it down the middle.
He waited for the goalkeeper to dive.
[commentator 1] Some can barely watch.
Aurélien Tchouaméni
Martínez is trying to get in his head.
He hasn't helped
with the return of the ball.
He will do what it takes.
Not a nail left to be chewed.
- [crowd whistling]
- [referee blows whistle]
Tchouaméni has dragged it wide!
[cheering]
And Argentina are on the cusp!
[commentator 2] He thrives on these
situations, Martínez.
He really does.
[commentator 1] Paredes, to take Argentina
to match point.
[blows whistle]
- Firm, low, telling!
- [crowd roaring]
Nearly there! So very nearly there!
[yelling indistinctly]
And France's margin for error
is now zero.
[commentator 2] Here we go.
Trying everything there, Martínez.
Trying to have a word with his man.
Ref pushing him back.
This is Kolo Muani
- [referee blows whistle]
- Nowhere to hide.
He must
He has.
[Messi in Spanish] I was praying to God,
as I've always done my entire life,
I pray to God about everything.
I was asking God to let him score,
so it would be over.
[commentator 1 in English]
A long, lonely walk
for Gonzalo Montiel.
Didn't start the game.
He can finish it.
[referee blows whistle]
You sleep ♪
But your soul, your soul ain't sound ♪
You scream ♪
'Cause you know it's a long way down ♪
You'll reach ♪
But your feet never left the ground ♪
Tell somebody ♪
Please ♪
Please ♪
Please ♪
Tell somebody ♪
[Martinez in Spanish] It's as if someone
had written a story
with the best possible ending,
with the most extraordinary ending,
with the happiest ending.
Please ♪
Please ♪
Please, please ♪
[roaring]
[commentator 1 in English]
Argentina, champions of the world!
And a nation will tango all night long!
[all cheering]
[in Spanish] Argentina
are champions of the world!
[all cheering]
[Messi] My dream was to win
something with the national team,
and in the end,
I was lucky enough to win it all.
Reaching the end, finishing like this
I couldn't ask for more.
[commentator 1 in English] The little boy
from Rosario, Santa Fe,
has just pitched up in heaven.
[in Spanish] And Diego,
we can see him up in heaven ♪
[upbeat music playing]
[all cheering]
[indistinct shouting]
She's the grandma of Messi!
She's the grandma of Messi! ♪
[all cheering]