All boils down to which England show up

I have to admit that one of the biggest surprises for me in this World Cup was finding out that Olivier Giroud is the highest scorer in the history of French men's football, but I guess it should not come as that much of a shock.

After all, the guy has apparently been around and immaculately coiffed roughly since the end of the second great war. It is just that, I have actually never met a fan of Les Bleus, or any of the many clubs that Giroud has represented, who wholeheartedly embraced the man's talent or contribution. Arsenal fans especially tend to recall him with snide disdain, but that could just be because of his move to cross-town rivals Chelsea. 

I never imagined him scoring more goals than Henry, Platini, or Trezeguet, but with grudging respect, I tip my hat to France's latest greatest goal scorer, and Hugo Boss model, Olivier Giroud. 

What is also surprising to me is that England and France have only met four times in their long footballing past. No one has been keen on repeating Waterloo, I guess.

The one player I do not envy is Kyle Walker, who will bear the primary responsibility of containing Kylian Mbappe.

Nevertheless, tonight's encounter promises to be an exciting one. Both sides have great young talent who are setting the world alight now, and promise to get even better in future. 

The one player I do not envy is Kyle Walker, who will bear the primary responsibility of containing Kylian Mbappe. One statistic is enough to underscore the enormity of his task: Mbappe has been clocked at 38 kilometers per hour when running at full speed. That is actually faster than Usain Bolt's average pace during his world record 100 meter sprint. Yes, you read that right!

I think though, the quality of the match will all boils down to which England show up. The one that went almost all the way at last year's Euros, or the one that can choke in quiet desperation in a uniquely English way. We have seen both in this World Cup, but I hope for the sake of the game that it is the good England that we see.