There are many divisions between France and Croatia. The first team is made up of young players, the second - experienced players. On Sunday, it will be seen which model is better.
- France and Croatia will face in the Sunday final of the World Cup on football
- For Croats whose key players are very experienced players, it is the first appearance in the match for gold
- Dalić's players, Croats, played at the World Cup 90 minutes more than their rivals. And they still had a day less to rest. This is a big problem for them
For Croats, footballers and fans, the final of the World Cup is a match of their lives. The fans from this country are more visible in Moscow, they walk in national colors, they drink beer and will probably dominate the Luzhniki. They were supposed to come back earlier, but they rebooked tickets, which involved considerable costs.
The French are less in the Russian capital, and they will also be in the minority in the stands, though a crazy madness prevailed on the Seine. The French, however, are not able to cheer loud like the visitors from the former Yugoslavia.
Huge differences
There are also many differences in both teams. On the one hand, a young team, but with an experienced trainer who probably defeated strong teams on the way to the final. However, he did not do it in an exciting style. The French have richer traditions, their team won in football the highest laurels - gold medals of world and European championships, already 60 years ago stood on the podium.
On the other hand, the experienced team, but with the coach without much success, who did not have the strongest - as for this stage of the tournament - rivals, and really struggled with them. However, it has won the hearts of fans around the world an ambitious and bold game. The first one was losing a goal, but it was making up for losses. State representation that has existed for 27 years and will play in the final of the great tournament for the first time. This will be the finale of contrasts
The first concerns the age difference.
In the first Croatian' eleven there are only three players born in the 90s, while in the eleven of France there are three players who were born in the 80s. In the French team probably there will be three players under 24 years, while in Croatia not a single one. That's a huge difference.
Most of the French players, apart from Olivier Giroud and Blaise Matuidi, can play in the next World Cup. Some of them, even in the next few championships.
For the biggest Croatian stars, this World Cup is the last chance for triumph. Luka Modrić, Mario Mandžukić and Ivan Rakitić are 30-32 years old. Not much younger are Ivan Perišić or Dejan Lovren. During the championships in Qatar we can not see them anymore.
Both countries are known for good work with young people, but the Croatian is still in the shadow of the old masters. And the French are at the top. No country in Europe can boast of such a number of top-notch players under the age of 24. In addition, young people play important roles in Les Bleus, Kylian Mbappe is one of the biggest team stars, Benjamin Pavard is a revelation of the tournament, and Lucas Hernandez is not disappointed either.
The only problem is that the history of the championships taught us that the title is usually gained by an experienced team with an average age of 27-28. In France it is below 26. When Les Bleus previously won gold in the World Cup, in the first eleven they had only one player who did not celebrate the 26th birthday (Emmanuel Petit). Now there are six of them.
On the other hand, the Croats broke with various mundial customs during these championships. They are the first team to reach the match for gold after three extra times and two series of penalty kicks, they are also the lowest-ranked FIFA ranking team in history, which played for gold.
One match more
Les Bleus on the way to the final defeated strong opponents - Argentina, Uruguay and Belgium, but their style, however, does not kidnap. After the match against Argentina (4: 3), Didier Deschamps focused primarily on securing the rear.
Croats won the hearts of fans with the ambitious game and character they showed during three extra times. So they played for 90 minutes, which is like one full meeting more than their rivals. And they still had a day less to rest.
Football traditions in both countries are also incomparable. France has reached the semi-finals of major events nine times earlier, Croatia once. In the finals, Les Bleus performed four times, winning three times in them, while the Croats never went that far.
And what links these teams? Millions of people in front of TV sets and crowds on the streets that the final will follow together. But the big feta will be either in the square of Bana Jelačić in Zagreb or on the Champs Elysées in Paris.
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