The 2022 World Cup final is here, and on Sunday, Argentina will take on the defending champions France. This game is billed as a matchup between Paris Saint-Germain teammates and two of the best players in the world, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe. However, if the Argentina-France match ends with Messi’s side lifting the trophy, it will be just as much because of the Argentina X-factor, Julian Alvarez, as it is because of Messi.

Julian Alvarez is the Argentina X-factor in the World Cup final vs. France

In World Cups of the past, Argentina superstar Lionel Messi has played next to many big-name countrymen, especially up front. Legendary Argentine forwards like Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez, Hernan Crespo, and Gonzolo Higuain have paired with the great one to form the country’s attack.

However, no matter who the goal-scorers playing with Messi were, the team could never accomplish the ultimate goal of winning the World Cup trophy.

The team came the closest when they reached the 2014 World Cup final. However, Neither Higuain nor Aguero could finish a chance before Mario Gotze scored in the 113th minute of extra time to take home a 1-0 win for Germany.

The problem has been that playing with older players or peers, these players have played their own personal, established brand of football. These players are all stars in their own right and were competing with Messi on some level to be the hero of their country’s World Cup success.

Now at 35, Messi’s peers and elders have melted away from the Argentina National Team, and he is now the elder statesman. Young players like 23-year-old Alexis Mac Allister, 21-year-old Enzo Fernandez, and 22-year-old Julian Alvarez now surround Messi upfront, and the dynamic of the Argentina attack has changed.

These players aren’t competing or trying to outdo Messi. He is their idol. They know he is better than them. The Argentine starlets are happy to play in service to Messi, and as the maestro with his (happy to be) supporting cast around him, La albiceleste is flourishing.

The player who represents that change most is Manchester City striker and World Cup final X-factor Julian Alvarez.

Alvarez was a budding star on one of Argentina’s biggest two soccer clubs (along with Boca Juniors), River Plate. And on his 22nd birthday (January 31, 2022) City plucked him out of the relative obscurity of Argentina’s Primera División for €20 million to come play for one of the biggest clubs on the planet,

The only problem was, four months later, City announced a €150 million deal for striker Erling Haaland, who may be the best player in the world right now (and is unfortunately not playing in the 2022 World Cup because his Norway team failed to qualify).

Alvarez is playing well for City, with six goals and two assists in all competitions this season. But he’s only played 356 Premier League minutes, thanks to Haaland. So he showed up at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as a virtual unknown to all but the biggest Manchester City or River Plate fans.

In Qatar, though, Julian Alvarez has been a revelation. He’s played more minutes in this tournament (362) than he has in the EPL season. And manager Lionel Scaloni has reaped the benefits of his faith in the youngster. The City striker has four goals in six matches, including two incredible ones in the semifinal vs. Croatia. He also is second on the team in xG (expected goals) with 2.6, only behind Lionel Messi’s tournament-leading 4.7 xG.

In the Argentina-France World Cup final, Julian Alvarez will be the X-factor. The young, inexperienced (or slower with Raphael Varane) French backline will be focused on stopping Messi throughout this match. However, as Croatia, Australia, and Poland found out the hard way, having tunnel vision on stopping Messi leaves Alvarez with a golden opportunity.

During the 2022 World Cup final, there is an excellent chance that Messi will score a goal. Whether or not the GOAT goes home with the trophy or in second place yet again largely depends on the young players around him stepping up.

Alvarez, and not Lionel Messi, is the Argentina X-factor because if the young striker scores, chances are the white and sky blue lift the trophy. If the moment is too big for him, France likely repeats for the first time since Brazil in 1962.

That’s a lot of pressure on Julian Alvarez, or any 22-year-old, for that matter. However, whether it is playing in Argentina’s most heated professional rivalry, competing with the best player in the world for playing time at Man City, or breaking out on the biggest stage as Lionel Messi’s right-hand man, Alvarez is seemingly always up for the challenge.