Lineker: If Messi wins, it’ll be the most beautiful finale to the most incredible career

The 1986 Golden Shoe winner hopes Argentina will prevail in Sunday’s final.

- I hope for a great game. I think we’ve had some great games in this World Cup; football-wise, it’s been really good. Possibly four years ago might have edged it in terms of thrilling matches, although we’ve had lots of late twists in this tournament – the Dutch coming back against Argentina in the last few minutes, the incredible Croatia comeback against Brazil, and big surprises early on. There’s also the prospering African nations – every single one of them winning a game and the brilliant performance of Morocco as the first African country to get to a semi-final.

There have been lots of positives. Let’s hope we get a repeat of the game when these two teams met four years ago in the last 16 and it finished 4-3 to France. Maybe the other way round this time and a 90th-minute goal from Messi would be quite nice! But whichever side wins will deserve it.

So the romantic in you will be rooting for Messi?
I think deep down, yes. I’ve just enjoyed his career so much and purely for him, I’d just love to see it because he’s given the game so much. He has given me pleasure for nearly two decades. I’ve watched hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of his games and there’s never a match goes by, even on his quiet days, where he doesn’t do something where I think ‘how do you do that?’ I think it’d be perfect. France are a very good team and I don’t think it would affect what we think about Messi if he doesn’t win it. But if he wins, it’ll be the most beautiful finale to the most incredible career.