In the run-up to , you will not be able to move for legacy talk.Lionel Me si is there again, for and an expectant, emotionally charged football public behind him.Standing in the way of apparent destiny are , trying to become the . Leading the charge is Me sis Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe.Both men have . There was a suggestion of baton-pa sing when France beat a chaotic Argentina 4-3 in the last 16 of the 2018 World Cup, with Mbappe winning a penalty before scoring twice.Me si supplied a couple of a sists but cut a forlorn figure that day in Kazan. In Qatar, he has been as close to his sparkling best as is feasible within the limitations of a shopworn 35-year-old body. The debate over who has been the dominant footballer of the 21st century up until this point is at an end for all but the most committed Cristiano Ronaldo fanatics ( ).MORE:Mbappe looks every inch the man to a sume Me sis mantle, while already having the winners medal he craves most in his back pocket. But, for all the 23-year-olds otherworldly gifts, you can argue that it is he and not Me si who really Asdrubal Cabrera Jersey needs this one.From a completist and a romantic point of view, the final is all about Me si. Of course it is. He can lift the one prize that has always eluded him, the biggest of all, and join his countrys Steven Matz Jersey other great idol Diego Maradona as a World Cup-winning magician. (Getty Images) But, even if he is defeated for , Me sis place in the pantheon is secured, his greatne s absolutely iron-clad. The overwhelming majority of football fans would consider him one of the best two or three players to have ever laced boots. A swelling number of those would have him as the top one, irrespective of what unfolds this weekend.For Mbappe, the most thrilling talent to have emerged over the past five years, similar status is yet to be earned. He obviously has ample time and obscene ability on his side, but the four-and-a-half years between and now provide a curious study.Since August 2018, only Robert Lewandowski (191) has scored more goals in all competitions acro s Europes top five leagues than Mbappes 148. Of players to have scored more than 100 goals during this time, only Me si (79) outstrips Mbappes 58 a sists, meaning he is one of three alongside Me si and Lewandowski with over 200 goal involvements.MORE: Players with more than 100 goals in Europe's top five leaguesNote: Table below encompa ses all competitions since August 1, 2018 Jay Bruce Jersey .Games playedGoalsA sistsG+AMinutes per goalShot conversion rateExpected goals (xG)Robert Lewandowski1801913322481.8524.27%179.92Kylian Mbappe1711485820693.7422.36%131.86Lionel Me si17713379212112.7815.89%109.99Karim Benzema18812742169123.2419.30%113.39Mohamed Salah21412547172140.5216.13%121.20Cristiano Ronaldo17512225147120.5914.14%122.22Ciro Immobile17511733150122.5619.73%105.68Erling Haaland1041082112975.3932.43%82.22Harry Kane17510735142141.0617.29%96.87In terms of minutes-per-goal he is third behind Lewandowski and Erling Haaland, while those are also the only three men in the elite group with a shot-conversion rate in exce s of 20 percent. Haalands fairly absurd 32.43 percentsucce s ratio comes from a smaller sample size of matches.It paints a picture of Mbappe, the dual World Cup finalist, operating as one of the very best in the game in between those two peaks. Neverthele s, his deeds at PSG have often come without celebration.DECOURCY: When , the . Mbappe came in ninth in the voting and .In the has arguably become too much of an obse sion for fans of the worlds most popular team sport, but it also gives an indication of where a player stands. It is certainly legitimate to claim Mbappe is the best player in the world right now, but only at the head of a tightly congested pack. He has not been able to separate himself in the way Me si and Ronaldo have over the previous decade.Whether he can Keith Hernandez Jersey do that within the confines of the Parc des Princes feels doubtful. Mbappes prolific exploits between World Cups might surprise some casual observers, who have probably heard more about the butting of heads inside PSGs all-star dre sing room and Mbappes forays into fashion and entertainment.MORE: Fragile egos and overly visible entourages are nothing new for star footballers. Mbappe is certainly not breaking the mold in that regard. However, Ronaldo and Me si always had the supreme sporting competition between Barcelona and Real Madrid to put any external noise in the background.At PSG, Mbappe is likely to pick up two or three domestic prizes a year at a canter before an unforgiving focus falls upon their latest failure in the Champions League. Me si being able to take things easy in Paris to ensure he arrived at this World Cup in peak condition hardly suggests Mbappe is being asked to push the boundaries of sporting excellence on a weekly basis.Mbappe has batted eyelashes at Real Madrid extensively and a move to La Liga would certainly enhance his career story. The worry is that his lavishly renewed terms in Paris amount to a gilded cage. EFE While Spains top flight ruled the roost during and because of Me si and Ronaldos imperial periods, the power in the European game now resides in the Premier League. Mbappe moving to England to place himself in direct competition with Haaland at Manchester City would mimic the iron-sharpens-iron dynamic. As Manchester United and Liverpool court wealthy new ownerships, that hypothetical might not look so far-fetched in the months and year ahead.One legacy of the Me si and Ronaldo era is that their relentle s greatne s meant they were not defined by World Cup succe s. Neither had scored a goal in the knockout stages prior to Qatar. In Lenny Dykstra Jersey that respect, Mbappe finds himself in something of a throwback position. Another win on the biggest stage would elevate his club deeds rather than garnish them.DECOURCY: If Mbappe is able to end the Me si fairytale, his achievements would stand in comparison with another of the very best. Backing up a World Cup win as a teenager, having scored in the final, with another four years later is something only Pele has done previously. Injury restricted the great mans role in Brazils 1962 triumph, while Mbappe has been pivotal once again.As such, there is more than one player gunning for sporting immortality this weekend. If he , Mbappe will have a claim to a place alongside Me si and the other all-time greats. Until he can banish the impre sion of uncompetitive drift that surrounds his club career, the World Cup remains his