​The footballing world is set to witness the showdown it has been waiting for.France and Spain will renew one of the most tantalising international rivalries in Dallas on Tuesday, with a place in the World Cup final at stake.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement2018 champions France are aiming to reach a third successive final, while 2010 winners Spain are bidding to become just the fourth team to hold both world and European crowns at the same time.Both squads are bursting with talent, but all eyes will be on Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal.Mbappe’s global breakthrough came at the 2018 World Cup, when his quickfire double helped France beat Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the last 16 on their way to winning a second champions’ star.Outshining one of the greatest players of all time was the first indicator that a changing of the guard was on the horizon – but now there is a new global star.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementEight years later, teenager Lamine Yamal is looking to replicate what Mbappe did to Messi and ignite on the biggest stage after a quiet debut World Cup so far.In 2022 Mbappe became only the second player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final, after England’s Geoff Hurst in 1966 [Getty Images]It is hard to look past Mbappe as the best player in the world right now.After scoring 42 goals in 44 games for Real Madrid last season – making him the top scorer in both La Liga and the Champions League – he has helped establish France’s attack as the most fearsome at this World Cup.The second-most expensive player in history leads the Golden Boot race along with Messi with eight goals in six games, and has made more goal contributions (11) than any other player.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWith 19 goals, if it were not for Messi (20), Mbappe would be the World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer after surpassing Miroslav Klose’s long-standing record (16).The only blot on his CV is that despite enjoying two magnificent individual seasons at Real Madrid, he is yet to win a major trophy in the Spanish capital.After scoring in his first World Cup final, Mbappe scored a hat-trick in his second – but ended up on the losing side.This summer the 27-year-old captain overtook Olivier Giroud as France’s all-time leading goalscorer, and now has 64 in 104 games.”For me it’s just ambition and confidence,” Giroud told BBC Match of the Day when asked about Mbappe’s remarkable rise.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement”He knows where he wants to go. He is a leader and you could see from a young age he was very at ease. He was mature for his age.”Mbappe wants to break every record he can, but only if they serve the collective – it is no secret he is obsessed with equalling Pele’s record of three World Cup triumphs.”He’s carried this team through three successive World Cups where he has been the pivotal player,” says French football journalist Luke Entwistle.Yet, after his arrival in Madrid coincided with back-to-back trophyless seasons for