The World Cup final on Sunday will pit club team-mates against each other and Manchester United pair Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane will be among them.
The spotlight will be on Paris Saint-Germain stars Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe facing off against each other at the Lusail Stadium, with both level on five goals in the tournament. But for United fans there will be another intriguing subplot.
Martinez and Varane have not played alongside each other that frequently yet, considering the Argentina international only joined from Ajax in the summer, but they’ve already formed a good relationship. Harry Maguire showed his qualities while playing for England at the World Cup, yet he was kept on the bench by Martinez and Varane before the competition.
The duo played alongside each other regularly during September – a period which coincided with United’s strong form. After picking up a 1-0 win over Leicester on September 1 the duo shared their affection for each other.
“Another step in the right direction! Bringing 3 points back to Manchester,” Varane wrote on Instagram alongside a picture of himself celebrating the victory with Martinez, David de Gea and Diogo Dalot. In response, Martinez wrote: "What a pleasure to play by your side brother."
Former United defender Rio Ferdinand was immediately impressed by their connection, describing them as “almost like the perfect couple”. Both players have been on rollercoaster journeys to get to the World Cup final.
Varane, who was a key player in France’s 2018 World Cup triumph, was a doubt for the entire tournament after picking up a serious-looking injury in United’s 1-1 draw at Chelsea on October 22. He came through that scare, made Didier Deschamps’ squad and has now played in five of France’s games in Qatar.
Deschamps will have a decision to make for the final, though, with Ibrahima Konate coming in for the ill Dayot Upamecano and performing exceptionally against Morocco on Wednesday night. The identity of Varane’s partner on Sunday is therefore not set in stone.
Martinez, meanwhile, has also not enjoyed plain sailing in Qatar. He too has played in five games for Argentina, but Lionel Scaloni has regularly changed his line-up and formation throughout the competition.
Nicolas Otamendi and Cristian Romero were preferred for the semi-final – a 3-0 win over Croatia – but Martinez did start the quarter-final triumph over the Netherlands. He tends to start matches when Scaloni opts for a three-man defence with wing-backs, and drops out of the side when it’s a 4-3-3 formation.
It remains to be seen whether Martinez gets the nod, and the opportunity to face his club teammate, in the final this weekend.
