Sunday's World Cup final between Spain and Argentina carries a national tone, but Barcelona's two great stars Xavi Hernandez and Javier Mascherano see the shadow of their old club everywhere.

The club's influence is clearly visible, from the young players who graduated from 'La Masia' in Spain to Lionel Messi, the most prominent graduate of Barcelona's academy, who still imposes his will on matches at the age of 39.

Xavi was one of the pillars of the Spain team that won the World Cup for the first time in South Africa in 2010, thanks to the 'Tiki-Taka' style of ball possession, while Mascherano was Messi's former teammate at Barcelona and Argentina and his coach at Inter Miami until earlier this year. The two spoke to Reuters in front of a giant replica of the World Cup made of Lego pieces at Rockefeller Center in New York before a final full of personal history.

Spain enters the final with a squad heavily influenced by Barcelona, including Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi, two players Xavi introduced to professional football as teenagers during his tenure as coach.

Argentina plays the match led by Messi, who won the World Cup for the first time in Qatar four years ago, and has managed to overcome time, defenders, and odds to reach a second consecutive final.

Mascherano said that nothing Messi does should surprise anyone anymore, except, of course, that he does it.

Mascherano (42) added: 'He's an exceptional player, you know? You can't compare him to anyone else. He's different, completely different.'

He continued: 'His vision always comes as a surprise, because he does many things that no other player would ever do; so, I think in the future, it will be difficult to find a player like him. I think it's impossible.'

Xavi, who shared years of magic with Messi in Barcelona's midfield, said he watched Argentina's 2-1 win over England with Mascherano and could barely comprehend what he was seeing.

Xavi explained: 'We were watching the game together, and he said to me: (39 years old, and what is he doing?) It's amazing.'

He added: 'In my opinion, he's the best in history. And he still makes a difference on the pitch. His ambition and behavior, he's a warrior. He's undoubtedly the best.'

Mascherano went further, saying Messi still looks like he's holding a remote control in the biggest football tournament.

He said: 'I think he still proves he's the master of the pitch... When the ball is at his feet, he sometimes makes decisions that lead him to win the match, and he is capable of doing that.'

For Xavi (46), his pride in tomorrow's final goes beyond Messi. He said watching forward Lamine and defender Cubarsi mature into World Cup final players was very satisfying, having seen their passion up close when they were teenagers.

Xavi said: 'Of course I feel very proud, because I saw Lamine when he was 15 and Cubarsi when he was 16.'

He added: 'They had personality and passion. I remember they used to tell me: (Don't worry, coach, I'm ready. Don't worry), because I was a bit afraid that they might not be ready at 15 and 16, and that they might feel pressure. But that never happened.' Xavi added that Barcelona's football philosophy is embodied in both finalists, even as Mascherano was quick to point out that Argentina currently does not have many Barcelona players in its ranks.

Xavi said: 'We should be proud of this philosophy, of this idea.'

He continued: 'It's one idea, and it's still ongoing. We are in the final thanks to this system, even Argentina.'

Mascherano said: 'We don't have many Barcelona players, but the playing style is very similar.'

He added: 'For me, they are the two best teams in the tournament. Two teams that play in a similar way. They love to play with the ball, and they don't feel comfortable if it's not in their possession.'

He continued: 'Perhaps the team that has the ball will control the pace of the match. For me, this is the best final we could have.'

As for predicting the winner, neither was certain.

Mascherano said: 'You can never know.'

Xavi added: 'It's very difficult to predict the result.'

Mascherano said: 'I think only God knows what will happen... because it's just one match.'

Read also