Time for the final four of the World Cup!
The 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup is about to come to an end. Four teams are involved in the final four, with at least one Parisian guaranteed to play in the final. We take a closer look at the semi-finals of the World Cup, and the great Parisian presence in the competition.
LIONEL MESSI - ARGENTINa v CROATIa
Lionel Messi's Argentina will face Croatia this Tuesday evening for a ticket in the final, a final that will take place in Lusail on Sunday 18 December at 16:00.
The Parisian striker has already scored four goals in this 2022 World Cup, and if he scores on Tuesday, he could become Argentina's all-time top scorer in the World Cup, overtaking the legend Gabriel Batistuta.
There is no doubt that the Parisian number 30 will be keen to qualify for the second World Cup final of his career, after 2014, in order to hope to lift the much-desired trophy. It's not going to be easy against Croatia, finalists of the last World Cup in Russia, and who have in their ranks the player who was voted best player of the 2018 competition, Luka Modric. As a reminder, the Croats finished second in their group, ahead of Belgium and Canada, and behind... Morocco!
KYLIAN MBAPPE and ACHRAF HAKIMI - FRANCE v morocco
The Atlas Lions are in the other semi-final, a match between two friends, two rouge et bleu teammates, Achraf Hakimi and Kylian Mbappé of course.
The Moroccans have had an exemplary run (only 1 goal in 5 games so far), eliminating Spain and Portugal successively, in the 8th and quarter-finals. Morocco are the first African nation to reach the last four of a World Cup, a resounding achievement but completely deserved given Achraf Hakimi's and his teammates' performances.
Walid Regragui's men were the reigning world champions of France, who eliminated Poland in the round of 16 and England in the quarter-finals after a memorable encounter. Kylian Mbappé may not have scored against the Three Lions, but he is still the tournament's top scorer with five goals.
The two matches are sure to be high-flying and will ensure that at least one Paris Saint-Germain player will be in the final!
Paris, the hub of the World Cup
Finally, the CIES Football Observatory has published a report this December 2022, on the subject of the Development Pathways of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Players.
The study shows in particular the extent of the number of clubs involved in the development of World Cup players, with the 830 players selected for the FIFA World Cup divided between 295 clubs. Paris are one of the 15 teams employing at least ten World Cup players (11 for Paris Saint-Germain, tied with Tottenham).
Ligue 1 is the fifth largest supplier of players for this World Cup (55), behind Serie A, Bundesliga, LaLiga and the Premier League.
Paris came 7th in the ranking of clubs supplying players for the 2022 World Cup (players who stayed for at least three years between their 15th and 21st birthday), on a par with Barcelona, Manchester City and Liverpool, and behind Ajax Amsterdam and Sporting Portugal in particular.
12 goals were scored by players from the club from the capital, 5 by Kylian Mbappé, 4 by Leo Messi, 2 by Neymar Jr and 1 by Carlos Soler, 4 more than Barcelona (8).
To top it all off, the Parisians involved in the World Cup have won the Man of the Match award on eight occasions, with Messi's latest against the Netherlands.