Argentina’s Lionel Scaloni vs France’s Didier Deschamps: The managers battling for glory in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final
While Scaloni and Deschamps have travelled very different paths to the final of this year's World Cup in Qatar, they both have the chance to make history should their team win on Sunday 18 December.
Football
When the World Cup final takes place on Sunday 18 December, two men in the dugouts will be hoping the strategies and tactics they have carefully planned will lead their team to victory.
France will be led by Didier Deschamps while Argentina have Lionel Scaloni at the helm. And while both of them have experienced the World Cup as players, their routes to management have seen them follow very different paths.
Argentina’s Lionel Scaloni: the once-maligned manager who has captured a nation’s heart
The bulk of Lionel Scaloni’s career as a player was spent in Spain, where he operated on the right side of the pitch (in defence or attack) for Deportivo de la Coruña. In 2006, he was named as part of Argentina’s World Cup squad that were eliminated on penalties by Germany in the quarter-finals.
As near back as 2016, Scaloni was working coaching children at his local amateur club in Mallorca, but by 2018 - and with limited experience - he had been recruited as manager of Argentina, one of the most demanding roles in international football.
The immediate reaction to Scaloni’s appointment was less than positive, with the great Diego Maradona even declaring he would "go to the motorcycling World Cup, not the football one".
But just four years later, with one Copa America title to his name and a World Cup title within reach, nobody is making jokes about Scaloni anymore.
One thing that has stood out is the feeling of camaraderie Argentina have shown during this World Cup tournament, with players seemingly as happy off the field as they are when winning on it together.
Going into the tournament, Scaloni boasted a 35-match streak without losing, however when that record was broken in dramatic fashion in the very first match of the World Cup against Saudi Arabia, the team regrouped to secure a place in the final in Qatar.
And while much of the attention has been directed at the likes of Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez, a lot of the praise should surely be reserved for Scaloni who has led the group impeccably throughout the tournament.
Key stats of Lionel Scaloni’s managerial career with Argentina:
Games: 56
Games won: 41
Games drawn: 15
Games lost: 6
Titles won: 2021 Copa America
Finals reached: 2021 Copa America, FIFA World Cup 2022
France’s Didier Deschamps: From ‘water carrier’ to most successful French coach in history
Didier Deschamps made over 100 appearances for his national team as a player and has tasted glory at the World Cup, winning the competition as France captain in 1998.
At club level, he won two league titles in the French first division as well as three Serie A titles and two UEFA Champions League titles.
Still, all of these titles didn’t mean he was universally loved, with Eric Cantona once famously calling him a ‘water carrier’ due to the perceived simplicity of his game as a defensive midfielder.
"You can find players like him on every street corner,” Cantona said in a scathing attack on Deschamps' play-style.
Still, his record in the domestic leagues and as captain of France makes him one of the most successful players of all time.
As manager of France, Deschamps has built teams that combine the defensive nous he displayed as a player with the attacking flair of players such as Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele and Kylian Mbappe who have all thrived during this World Cup.
Deschamps' crowning glory as French manager came in the last World Cup in Russia, when he led his team to the ultimate prize following a 4-2 victory over Croatia in the final. Now he has the chance to become only the second manager in history to win two World Cups after Vittorio Pozzo did so in 1934 and 1938.
Key stats of Didier Deschamps' management career with France:
Games: 138
Games won: 89
Games drawn: 27
Games lost: 22
Titles won: FIFA World Cup 2018, UEFA Nations League 2020-21
Finals reached: UEFA European Championships 2016, FIFA World Cup 2018, FIFA World Cup 2022