Mbappé, the comeback kid

Let me tell you about the craziest World Cup final I’ve ever seen.

You might already know the one—France vs. Argentina in 2022.

But what actually happened in that match? It was pure madness.

And there's a lesson buried in there for anyone paying attention.

Let me set the scene.

Argentina came out flying. Messi puts them up 1-0 with a penalty, and then Di María makes it 2-0 before halftime. Argentina is in total control. It looks like they’re going to walk away with the trophy.

Most teams would’ve folded at that point. But then… Kylian Mbappé happened.

By the 80th minute, France still hadn’t scored. They were down 2-0, and the game looked over.

But Mbappé wasn’t having it.

He steps up and scores a penalty.

80th minute: 2-1.

Game on.

One minute later, he pulls off a perfect volley. Boom—suddenly, it’s 2-2.

81st minute: 2-2. 

Out of nowhere, the momentum shifts.

Most people thought, "That’s it, France is going to win." But Argentina, being Argentina, had one more twist.

In extra time, Messi scores again—3-2.

It’s late, it’s dramatic, and it feels like Argentina has finally sealed it.

But Mbappé still wasn’t done.

118th minute: France wins another penalty. Cool as ice, Mbappé steps up and slots it home.

3-3. 

Mbappé scored a hat-trick. In a World Cup final.

At this point, the world is losing its mind.

But here’s the kicker: France STILL didn’t win. Argentina took it in penalties.

And the rest is history.

Here’s the lesson:

Mbappé is one of 11 players on the field. Winning takes a team. And if just two players on your team lose focus and let their guard down, the other team will score.

It doesn’t matter how hard Mbappé fights—if the whole team isn’t working together, they’ll fall short.

And that’s where the metaphor lies.

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It’s like a death by a thousand cuts—it won’t hurt much at first, but eventually, it’ll kill your newsletter.

Getting the right people to subscribe is one of the keystones to building a successful newsletter.

And that’s exactly why I developed the 4-Step System that guarantees high-quality subscribers—the kind who actually buy from you.

All the best,

Gunnar

Let’s work together.

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