Much of Argentina's hopes of winning the World Cup have been put on the shoulders of Lionel Messi but there's one man who could play an even more important role and that's his Barcelona team mate, Javier Mascherano.
The German midfield is top class and they were completely dominant against Brazil but they'll find things a little more difficult against El Jefecito (The little chief).
Mascherano has often been deployed as a centre back for Barcelona but he is at his best when playing as a defensive midfielder and he is as good as anyone in the world playing that position.
In this World Cup he has been able to play in his best position and he has repaid Argentina with some excellent performances. In possession he has dropped deep to play between the centre backs allowing the full backs to push on. When Argentina lose the ball he is able to press the opposition and he done this to superb affect in the semi-final.
Every time the Dutch tried to break they looked for Arjen Robben but Mascherano wasn't giving the Bayern Munich star an inch to work in. He intercepted, tackled and when Robben was able to stretch his legs Mascherano was able to stay with him and nullify Robben's impact on the game.
From a statistical point of view Mascherano has been hugely impressive with more completed passes and more tackles than anyone else in the tournament. All this has played a massive part in getting Argentina to their first World Cup Final since 1990.
El Jefecito won't be overwhelmed by the occasion as he has plenty of big game experience throughout his career. He has been in two Champions League Finals, winning one and losing one. He also has two Olympic gold medals, two runners-up medals from the Copa America and the World Cup Final will be his 105th cap. He has played in multiple cup finals and played a key role in winning four league titles in three different countries as well as some of the biggest clashes in club football, River Plate v Boca Juniors, Liverpool v Manchester United and Barcelona v Real Madrid.
Messi may be the captain and the man most Argentinians are depending on but in the dressing room Mascherano will be one of the players people will look to for leadership and if his team mates put as much effort and passion into their performances as Mascherano will they could be going back to Buenos Aires as World Champions.