The World Cup final between Spain and Argentina on Sunday may be a clash of national teams, but Barcelona legends Xavi Hernandez and Javier Mascherano say the spirit of their former club is impossible to miss on both sides.
The connection runs from Spain’s crop of La Masia academy graduates to Lionel Messi — Barcelona’s most celebrated product — who at 39 years old is still bending games to his will for Argentina in a second consecutive World Cup final.
Xavi was a cornerstone of the Spanish squad that captured the country’s first World Cup title in South Africa in 2010 with their trademark tiki-taka possession style. Mascherano, 42, was Messi’s former Barcelona and Argentina teammate and served as his coach at Inter Miami until earlier this year.
The two men sat down with Reuters in front of a giant LEGO World Cup trophy replica at Rockefeller Center in New York City ahead of a final that carries deep personal meaning for both of them.
Spain’s roster carries unmistakable Barcelona influence, highlighted by Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi — two players Xavi personally handed their professional debuts to as teenagers during his time managing the club.
Argentina, meanwhile, arrive with Messi, who claimed his first World Cup title in Qatar four years ago and has somehow dragged time, defenders, and probability along with him to another final.
Mascherano said that while nothing Messi does should come as a shock anymore, it somehow still does.
“He is a special one, you know? You cannot compare (him) with anyone. He’s different, totally different,” Mascherano said. “Always when we see him, always it’s a surprise because he’s doing a lot of things that we will never, never see in another player. So, I think in the future, it will be difficult to find a player like him. I think it’s impossible.”
Xavi, who spent years alongside Messi weaving midfield magic at Barcelona, said he and Mascherano watched Argentina’s 2-1 victory over England together and could hardly believe what they were seeing.
“We were together watching the game, and he told me, ’39 years (old), and what’s he doing?’ It’s amazing,” Xavi said. “In my opinion, he’s the best in history. And he’s still making a difference on the pitch. And his ambition, his attitude, he’s a warrior. He’s absolutely the best.”
Mascherano went even further, suggesting Messi still appears to hold the keys to football’s biggest stage.
“I think he is still showing that he is the owner of the game,” he said. “He has the ball, and he makes the decisions sometimes that he is going to win the game and he can do that.”
For 46-year-old Xavi, the pride he feels about Sunday’s final goes beyond Messi. He said watching Lamine and Cubarsi grow into World Cup finalists has been particularly fulfilling after witnessing their confidence firsthand when they were teenagers.
“I feel, of course, very proud because I saw them when they were 15, Lamine; 16, Pau Cubarsi,” Xavi said. “They had the character and the passion. I remember them telling me: ‘Don’t worry, coach, I’m ready. No worries,’ because I was a bit afraid that at 15, 16, maybe they were not, that they would feel the pressure. Absolutely not.”
Xavi argued that Barcelona’s footballing philosophy runs through both finalists, though Mascherano was quick to note that Argentina don’t actually have many current Barcelona players in their squad.
“We have to be proud with this philosophy, with this idea,” Xavi said. “It’s one idea, and still the idea is going on. We are in the final with this system, even Argentina.”
Mascherano agreed with the broader point: “We don’t have too many players from Barca but the way to play is much like that. For me, they’re the best two teams in the tournament. Teams that play in a similar way. They like to play with the ball, and they don’t feel comfortable if they don’t have the ball. Maybe the team that has possession of the ball will take the tempo of the game. For me, it’s the best final that we could have.”
Neither man was willing to predict a winner. “You never know,” Mascherano said. “So difficult to have a prediction,” Xavi added. Mascherano had the final word: “I think only God knows what is going to happen. Because it’s just one game.”
