Lionel Messi was reduced to tears after winning the World Cup with Argentina on Sunday, the captain scoring twice in the most dramatic of finals against France.
Arguably the biggest storyline heading into the final in Qatar was around Messi, who was bidding to lift an elusive World Cup trophy after coming up short in the 2014 final against Germany.
Messi failed to find the net in that 1-0 defeat in Brazil eight years ago, but in this – surely his final World Cup game – the 35-year-old scored twice as the match ended 3-3 after extra time.
Messi had opened the scoring with a penalty in the first half, before Angel Di Maria doubled Argentina’s lead before the break. However, Kylian Mbappe scored a penalty in the 80th minute and struck again within 97 seconds to make it 2-2 and take the final to extra time.
Messi scored again in the second half of the additional period, before Mbappe completed a hat-trick with another penalty, forcing a shootout – and beating his Paris Saint-Germain teammate to the golden boot in the process.
Both men netted in the shootout, but it was Argentina who won it 4-2, with Gonzalo Montiel scoring the winner.
Messi was overcome with emotion, embraced by teammates and reduced to tears as Argentina celebrated their nation’s third world title – their first since 1986.
Argentina legend Diego Maradona, who many believe rivals Messi as arguably the greatest footballer ever, was instrumental in that 1986 triumph, and it looked as though Messi might never match the icon’s greatest success. But the PSG forward did just that on Sunday.
The Qatar World Cup was the first edition of the tournament since Maradona’s death in 2020, adding another layer of emotion to Argentina’s bid for the trophy and eventual celebrations.
