Others ran, but he just dropped to his knees.
When Gustavo Montiel tucked home the winning penalty to secure Argentina the World Cup, the man whom it meant the most to just sank to the ground.
Usually in such situations you see the entire team sprint towards the winning goalscorer or the goalkeeper who has just made the vital save, but as Lionel Messi dropped to the turf Leandro Paredes stopped his run, span around and embraced him.
Then came Marcos Acuna. Then Enzo Fernandez and Nicolas Otamendi.
Rodrigo De Paul was a little late on the scene, and he was followed by a kitted up Sergio Aguero in an Otamendi shirt, and then unused substitute Angel Correa.
Montiel might have scored the penalty and Emiliano Martinez may have saved one from Kingsley Coman and won his battle of mind games with Aurelien Tchouameni, but it was Messi who all the eyes were trained upon.
And so began the moments that he would have dreamed about all his life. A life of success, but never quite this success.
After Messi emerged from the mass huddle that had surrounded him he had a look of astonishment on his face. He could only walk, wide eyed and grinning towards what were presumably his family in the stands, waving with both arms aloft. He looked a picture of happiness.
There were more smiles, more waves and then a hug for Lautaro Martinez as the bedlam continued to ensue around him, then he briefly disappeared into a pile-on from Argentina's coaching staff.
When he emerged more players and officials got their Leo time as the hugs kept going, but it was when the players' families flooded onto the pitch that Messi seemed to switch from disbelieving to delirious.
Sons Thiago, Mateo and Ciro all got hugs, as did his wife Antonela Roccuzzo who would later get her hands on the World Cup.
Just as Messi appeared to be checking to see if there was someone he hadn't yet embraced he got a tug on the shoulder, initially looking a little bit perturbed by it before he saw who it was. A smile spread across his face as he leant in to embrace his mother Celia, who had tears in her eyes. She wasn't the only one.
Occasions such as these are always held up by the construction of the temporary stages on the pitch to present the trophies, a wait which seems endless for the losing team but is barely noticed by the winners.
Eventually the platform was assembled for Messi, Martinez, Fernandez and a glum Kylian Mbappe to collect their individual awards, with barely a word seemingly said between the two Paris Saint-Germain teammates in the land of their club's ownership.
Messi had his mind on other things, and after the Argentina squad were all called up in squad number order, minus their No.10, the magic moment finally arrived.
Messi collected his medal and shook hands with dignitaries including France's President Macron, before speaking with Gianni Infantino and the Emir of Qatar and then being dressed in a garish black robe with gold detailing by the latter.
It was confusing, but he didn't seem to mind, and he stepped up to pick up the famous gold trophy, holding it aloft with Angel Di Maria on one side and De Paul on the other, as he was for so much of the tournament.
The robe, a traditional bisht, was very quickly ditched and it was possible to see the respect that the Argentina players have for their captain, allowing him to hold the trophy for as long as he desired before the usual passing it around teammates. They wanted him to drink this moment in, and he certainly did that.
Argentina's players then all crowded around the goal at the end where many of their fans were, with Messi hoisted aloft on Aguero's shoulders as he displayed the trophy to his joyous people, with the image reminiscent of Diego Maradona when he lifted the trophy in 1986.
Still unable to contain himself, Messi would eventually be thrust in front of a microphone and his joy was unparalleled.
“It’s crazy, it made you long for it, but it’s the most beautiful thing there is,” he said.
“It’s beautiful. I wanted it so badly. God was going to give it to me, I had a feeling it was going to be this one… We suffered a lot but we got it.
“It’s anyone’s childhood dream. I was lucky enough to have achieved everything and this is what I was missing, it’s now here."
The celebrations continued into the dressing room as Messi hopped up onto a table and danced with the World Cup in his hands. Egged on by his teammates in footage filmed by Otamendi, he was joined by Lautaro Martinez as 'Allez Campione' rang around the joyous room.
Messi, now with boots off, eventually set the trophy down and on the table and continued with his joyous jig, surrounded by delirious teammates who were all very much revelling in a moment for both themselves and also for him.
Later as the players headed into the mixed zone it was Messi who still had his hands on the trophy, eventually being mobbed by even more of his teammates including Emi Martinez.
The dancing wasn't stopping, and nor should it, as the delighted players celebrated Argentina's third World Cup.
Most importantly of all though, it is Messi's first.
