
FIFA appointed Poland's Szymon Marciniak as the referee for the final between Argentina and France. Although he is a referee with plenty of experience at the highest level, he is not someone Lionel Messi remembers with particular fondness. With the Pole as referee, the Argentine has had painful losses at the club level.
The nightmare dates back to the 2016/17 season. With the Pole on the field, Messi took two heavy blows with Barcelona. The first was the 4-0 defeat that the Blaugrana suffered against PSG in the round of 16 of the League of
Champions. The Parisians won the first leg and then came the famous 6-1 comeback at Camp Nou. Barcelona qualified for the quarterfinals, where they faced Juventus. Precisely in the first match in Turin, Marciniak was also a referee. Messi with teammates took another hit. It was a 3-0 victory for the Italian team, with two goals from Paulo Dybala and another from Giorgio Chiellini.
In that case there was no miracle. Juventus drew 0-0 at Camp Nou and eliminated Barcelona from the Champions League. Messi managed to balance his record with the Pole in the same World Cup. Marciniak refereed the match between Argentina and Australia in the round of 16, which the Albiceleste won 2-1.
Now they will meet again this Sunday. The European referee will be in charge of the final, where Messi will look to cap a historic international career with the World Cup title.