For the musically inclined, the 2006 World Cup final pits the golden oldies fanatics against the opera buffs.
On one end of Olympic Stadium field tonight will stand aging, but talented French team, playfully dubbed "The Rolling Stones," by their most ardent fans because they are old, but keep coming back for more.
On the other side will stand the cunning Italians, whose World Cup is playing out like a classic opera. The management of many of the players' Serie A clubs -- Juventus, A.C. Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina -- has been caught in an embarrassing match-fixing scandal that threatens to relegate those clubs to which most of the players belong. In classic opera timing, a decision could come as early as tomorrow.
Except perhaps for their fans, few experts and observers felt these two teams would reach the final.
France starts five players more than 30 years of age, which is virtually unheard of at this level given that the sport has become more and more of a young man's game. The lead performer is an aging superstar, 34-year-old Zinedine Zidane, who, after a mediocre season with his club team, Real Madrid, has summoned enough strength and guile to turn his final games as a player into a month-long retirement party.
"He is one of the players who is worth the price of the ticket to see," Italy midfielder Gennaro Gattuso, who is expected to cover "Zizou."
"You don't stop Zidane. Maybe he stops himself if he is not in form. You have to try and control him and if you want to limit his effect you need a bit of luck and need to make the sign of the cross.
"But he's 34 and playing in his last game. We have to hope he doesn't have much petrol left in the engine."
This also is considered the last hurrah of a talented and skilled generation of French players who captured France '98 and Euro 2000.
The Italians have played -- and played well -- with a major scandal looming over their heads. While no one player has captured the public's attention, defender Fabio Cannavaro, a leading candidate for the Golden Ball award as World Cup MVP, leads a defense that has been impossible to crack.
Three-time champion Italy won in 1982 -- a generation ago -- although it has teased its supporters in recent cups, finishing third at Italia '90 and second at USA '94.
"We are going to Berlin and among the many things on the table there will be the organization of the teams, the technical quality and the great players on both sides. We will see who has the most hunger," Italy coach Marcello Lippi said.
"They have won a World Cup and a European Championship while this generation of (Italian) players has only got close to that. That is what is on the table, we have the fork in our hand and let's see what happens."
Lippi wasn't finished. "I absolutely refuse this attitude of 'However it goes, it will be a great occasion' and all the rest," he said. "How many times in your life do you get the chance to win the World Cup? We have to be furious if we lose."
The French's strength comes from Zidane and the midfield, including defensive specialists Patrick Vieira (30) and Claude Makelele (33). Vieira likes to join the attack on occasion and Makelele prefers to stay at home.
The backline doesn't always get its proper due, although defender Lilian Thuram (34) has been nothing short of brillaint. William Gallas hasn't been seen or heard from as much as Thuram, but he is enjoying an outstanding cup.
While he still hasn't played up to his potential, striker Thierry Henry (three goals), has had his moments in the knockout round, scoring against Brazil and was fouled to set up the lone tally vs. Portugal. Frank Ribery, with his constant running up and down the left wing, could be a factor.
Goalkeeper Fabien Barthez can make some big saves, but has a tendency to turn the routine into an adventure and could be a liability. Remember that volleyball-like save he made against Portugal in the semifinals? It went straight up in the air and Portugal's Luis Figo headed it off target -- fortunately for the French and Barthez.
With Italy, a 1-0 lead might as well be a 10-goal advantage. Italy's team defense and backline has been superb. When the Italians play at their optimum, they are difficult to crack. Just take a look at what they did in the 2-0 semifinal win against Germany. They picked up the hosts in the Germans' half of the field, making them work for every inch. The Italians' speed and quickness allowed them to do that. If they try that Sunday, the French could be in for a long match.
Don't expect anything different offensively. The Italians will absorb the French outbursts then counterattack. They can be patient and wait out 120 minutes, if need to be to score (again, check out the two late goals against Germany). Italy has scored 11 goals -- by 10 players. Luca Toni, who did all of his scoring against Ukraine, leads the way with two goals.
While not called on a lot, Gianluigi Buffon hasn't done anything to tarnish his reputations as the best goalkeeper in the world. If he keeps the French off the scoresheet through the 64th minute, he will surpass the WC scoreless record set, of course, but another Italian, former New England Revolution 'keeper and coach Walter Zenga, in 1990. The only goal the Italians have allowed was by one of their own -- an own goal by reserve defender Cristian Zaccardo in the 1-1 tie with the U.S.
Probable lineups:
France (4-2-3-1): Fabien Barthez -- Willy Sagnol, Lilian Thuram, William Gallas, Eric Abidal -- Patrick Vieira, Claude Makelele -- Franck Ribery, Zinedine Zidane (captain), Florent Malouda -- Thierry Henry.
Italy (4-4-1-1): Gianluigi Buffon -- Gianluca Zambrotta, Marco Materazzi, Fabio Cannavaro (captain), Fabio Grosso -- Simone Perrotta, Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso, Mauro Camoranesi -- Francesco Totti -- Luca Toni.
Michael Lewis writes about soccer for the New York Daily News and is editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He can be reached at SoccerWriter516@aol.com. Views and opinions expressed in this column are the author's, and not necessarily those of Major League Soccer or MLSnet.com.
