Lionel Messi Wearing a black Qatari cloak over a blue and white Argentine shirt, he kissed world Cup, He turned to his teammates and hoisted the golden trophy high in the air.
It was an iconic scene that ultimately surely places the soccer superstar in the league of the sport’s greatest players.
Messi has a once-in-a-generation career fulfilment: he’s World Cup champion.
In one of the wildest finals in the tournament’s 92-year history, Messi, 35, scored two goals, then another as Argentina beat France 4-2 on penalties in a shootout on Sunday to claim a third World Cup title. Cup title.
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Amidst it all, France forward Kylian Mbappe _the 35-year-old Messi’s heir apparent _ scored his first hat-trick in the final in 56 years, doing everything he could to emulate the Brazilian great Pele as his first two world champions . cup.
This was not enough.
There is no debate anymore. Messi joins an exclusive club of the best footballers of all time, along with Pelé _ a record three-time World Cup champion _ and the late Argentine great Diego Maradona, with whom Messi was often compared.
who is the tallest? This is a discussion that will rage forever as there may never be a definitive answer. Messi makes a good argument, though, and _with a World Cup title on his resume_ he certainly ranks above Cristiano Ronaldo as the best player of his generation.
Messi achieved what Maradona did in 1986 and dominated the World Cup for Argentina. He scored seven goals and took the responsibility of leading his team out of those dark moments after a shock 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in the group stage.
Playing in the spirit of Maradona, Messi combined his dazzling skills with rarely seen aggression to lead Argentina to the title by becoming the first man to score in a single edition of the World Cup, in the group stage and then in every round of the knockout stage . ,
The torch will one day pass to Mbappe, whose flurry of goals lit up a dramatic final and saw him emulate Geoff Hurst’s hat-trick for England in 1966, but not yet.
“Let’s go, Argentina!” Messi roared into a microphone on the field during a post-match celebration after playing in a record 26th World Cup match.
On his way to the dais to collect the Golden Ball, awarded to the best player of the tournament, he caught a glimpse of the 18-karat gold World Cup trophy. He also kissed and rubbed the World Cup repeatedly.
He took it about 10 minutes after a ceremonial cloak was draped over his shoulders by Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. And, oh, did he enjoy it, celebrating with teammates who put Argentina on top of the football world for the first time since the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. The country’s second title came in 1978 on home soil.
Messi was in fine form from the start of the final, putting Argentina ahead from the penalty spot after Angel Di Maria was tripped up and later playing a part in a flowing team move that resulted in Di Maria making it 2–0 after 36 minutes. Took an edge
Embappé, on the other hand, was anonymous until he burst into life by scoring two goals in a 97-second span – one an 80th-minute penalty, the other a volley from inside the area after a quick exchange of passes to take the 2-2 game for overtime.
Messi still had plenty of energy and was poised to score his second goal in the 108th minute, a French defender clearing the ball shortly after crossing the line. Argentina were once again on the verge of the title, but there was still time for another penalty from Mbappe after a handball to take the thrilling game into a shootout.
Mbappe and Messi took their teams’ first kick and scored. An effort by Kingsley Coman was saved by Argentina goalkeeper Emi Martínez and Aurélien Tchoumeny then missed for France, giving Gonzalo Montiel the opportunity to finish it. He converted the penalty to the left and celebrated wildly.
“It is very enjoyable to be on top of the summit,” said Lionel Scaloni, Argentina’s coach. “Now that’s unique.”
Europe’s run of four consecutive World Cup winners from 2006 ended. The last South American champion was Brazil, and it was also in Asia when Japan and South Korea hosted the tournament in 2002.
In Qatar, Argentina backs up their triumph at last year’s Copa America, its first major trophy since 1993. It is the pinnacle of Messi’s international career, which at 35 may not be over yet because he is playing as well as ever.
It was also quite the final for the first World Cup to be played in the Arab world.
For FIFA and Qatari organisers, a final between two major soccer nations and two of the world’s best players represents a way to end a tournament mired in controversy since a scandal-tainted vote to award the event to a small Arab Emirates in 2010. Presented the right way.
Scrutiny over the years has focused on the switch of dates from the traditional June-July period to November-December, strong criticism of how migrant workers have been treated and then the transfer of football’s biggest event to a There is disquiet about being taken to a nation where homosexual acts are rampant. illegal.
On Sunday, there was only one running story for most people: Could Messi do it?
That’s despite Mbappe, 23, doing everything he could to dissuade his Paris Saint-Germain teammate. Finishing the tournament as top scorer with eight goals is only a sliver of comfort.
Messi has been a man on a mission in the Middle East, determined to erase the memory of their only World Cup final appearance in 2014, when Argentina lost 1-0 to Germany and Messi missed a huge chance in the second half. had lost
That night at the Maracana Stadium, Messi looked at the golden World Cup trophy that had eluded him.
Eight years later, he elevated it in a career-high moment like no other.