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DOHA: There is a thread connecting the three main favorites to win the World Cup, which begins in Qatar on Sunday.
Defending champions Brazil, Argentina and France have been cited as main rivals for good reason, not least because of the identity of their stars.
Lionel Messi leads an Argentine side on a 36-match unbeaten run, Neymar leads a great Brazil side, and France’s hopes of retaining the title will depend largely on Kylian Mbappe.
The trio of Messi, Neymar and Mbappe united in Paris Saint-Germain with the wealth of the owners of the French-Qatari club.
Their relationship made headlines in France this season, and they performed admirably.
Qatar caused a shock in December 2010 when it won the right to host this year’s World Cup. Just over six months later, PSG was bought by Qatar Sports Investments.
Fast forward a decade and they’ve gone from a sick club to a major powerhouse.
Mbappe and Neymar became the two most expensive signings in football history when they moved to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.
Messi joined them in Paris last year after leaving Barcelona.
They are among the favorites to win the Champions League this season, with Messi, Mbappe and Neymar scoring 46 goals in 22 matches for Paris Saint-Germain so far.
The World Cup has been cited as a reason for their impressive performances, particularly in the case of Messi and Neymar.
At the age of 35, Messi knows he is unlikely to get another chance to win it. “It’s definitely my last World Cup,” he told ESPN Argentina recently.
A short walk along Doha’s Corniche or the nearby Souq Waqif is enough to gauge Messi’s popularity in Doha.
The fans, who are often of Qatar’s large South Asian population, wear Argentina jerseys with Messi’s name and number on the back as they savor the atmosphere on the eve of the tournament.
Some waited outside Argentina’s base in the early hours of Thursday, hoping to catch a glimpse of Messi when Lionel Scaloni’s side arrived in Doha.
“Messi is the best. We like the way Argentina are playing at the moment, and with Messi they are the best,” one of the fans, a 36-year-old financial worker named Shabi from the Indian state of Kerala, told AFP.
Like Messi, Neymar is among the players whose pictures adorn the giant buildings in downtown Doha.
At 30, Neymar may take part in at least one more World Cup after this tournament, even if he had previously hinted that this could be his last.
Injury ruined the 2014 World Cup for him before Brazil lost to Belgium in the quarter-finals in 2018.
Since then, injuries have hampered him in Paris. Until this season, when he appeared fitter and sharper than ever.
“The World Cup is my biggest dream,” Neymar told Britain’s Daily Telegraph this week. “It’s been since I understood what football is.”
In stark contrast to his club mates, Mbappe has already won the World Cup and was still a teenager when he did so with France in 2018.
He is the one who represents the future, and that is why Paris Saint-Germain allocated huge sums of money to persuade him to sign a new deal at the end of last season instead of joining Real Madrid.
Le Parisien recently reported that Paris will pay Mbappe 630 million euros ($652 million) before tax for the duration of the three-year contract he signed in May.
Paris Saint-Germain rejected this report, describing it as “sensational,” but the aforementioned figures shed light on Mbappe’s status.
“Kylian is an extraordinary player,” said France team mate Lucas Hernandez on Friday. “It is an honor to have him on our team.”
France, led by Mbappe, ended Argentina’s Messi hopes in the last 16 in 2018.
There is a chance to meet again at the same stage this time. The semi-final match between Argentina and Brazil Neymar is another possibility.
“We don’t discuss it much but sometimes we joke about crossing paths with each other in the final,” Neymar told The Daily Telegraph.
Whatever happens, only one of PSG’s trio can leave Doha as World Cup winners.
Assuming the hosts don’t part ways, the French club’s Qatari owners will be delighted to see which of them lift the trophy at Lusail Stadium on December 18.
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