Lionel Messi prepares to lift the World Cup trophy
(Picture: REUTERS)IN the queue for the media entrance at the Lusail Iconic Stadium, a senior colleague and veteran of four previous World Cup finals had a word of advice: “They’re usually bad games.”
Ahem, well, not this one.
Admittedly, for 80 minutes last night’s final between Argentina and France was, if not a bad game then certainly a one-sided one and nobody could have predicted the breathless drama of the climax after Kylian Mbappé dragged the defending champions level with two goals in 97 seconds.
Whatever happened during the 90 minutes, though, this final was always destined to end with one of football’s most compelling stories: either a coronation for Lionel Messi in his final World Cup appearance or further heartbreak for the greatest player of all-time, who had already lost the 2014 final.
As you will know by now, Messi scored twice and finally got his hands on the World Cup at the fifth time of asking, as Argentina won on penalties following a scintillating 3-3 draw. The triumph secures Messi’s legacy and footballing immortality, ensuring that he finally emulated his idol Diego Maradona.
Argentina’s little magician even managed to upstage Mbappé, his heir as the best player in the world who became the first player since Sir Geoff Hurst to score a World Cup final hat-trick but still finished on the losing side.
Cliched as it is, it was a genuinely a privilege to be inside the Lusail, a giant golden bowl resembling a shimmering tealight, for a match which was unforgettable by any standards, let alone on the biggest stage of all and for an occasion which usually underwhelms.
As many had hoped, the contest felt in large part a battle between Messi and Mbappé, the two best players on the planet, but so intense was the drama that the match itself almost managed to transcend its two biggest actors.
In the end, though, it was all about Messi and the remarkable events of the game only enhanced his crowning moment. Argentina had to win not once, not twice but three times.
After so many near misses with his country, it felt fitting that Messi had to do this the hard way and, if possible, his triumph was even more significant for coming against Mbappé and France — worthy opponents who did not deserve to lose.
