Brazil legend Pele insists "Diego is smiling now" after Argentina won the first World Cup since the passing of one of their greatest sons.
Diego Maradona died in November 2020 and, up until Sunday's final, had been the last man to captain the South Americans to a World Cup triumph way back in 1986. Lionel Messi had long failed to emulate his idol, but finally captured football's biggest prize at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar.
Argentina beat France on penalties after a sensational contest that had ended 3-3 after extra-time. Messi scored two of his side's three, as well as coolly converting a penalty in the shootout. Pele captured three World Cups during his iconic career and has cited Maradona in a social media post.
He wrote on Instagram : "Today, football continues to tell its story, as always, in an enthralling way. Messi winning his first World Cup, as his trajectory deserved. My dear friend, Mbappé, scoring four goals in a final. What a gift it was to watch this spectacle to the future of our sport. And I couldn't fail to congratulate Morocco for the incredible campaign. It's great to see Africa shine. Congratulations Argentina! Certainly Diego is smiling now."
Gary Lineker played in the infamous Hand of God contest 36 years ago, but had long hailed Maradona as the best player he'd seen until Messi came onto the scene. The latter's exploits though have seen the BBC anchor confess that he is now out on his own.
He said: “I never thought I'd see a better player than Diego Maradona and it's kind of slightly unfair to compare them because they played in different times. But I think Messi’s done it through what he's achieved now and his longevity. Diego for seven, eight, nine, maybe ten years even was so similar but he [Messi] has done it for nearly two decades. Seven Ballon d'Ors as well. He's done them both in his mid-30s, the two big ones - the Copa America and the World Cup.”
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Failing to win the World Cup - or any international trophy - had long been held against Messi. Last summer he claimed the Copa America for his country and just over 12 months later he's been their leading light as they claimed a third World Cup with the PSG star picking up the Golden Ball for his performances.
Messi, now 35, has also rejected any notion that he could retire in the aftermath of the final. “Obviously I wanted to complete my career with this – I can’t ask for more,” he said.
“Finishing my career this way is impressive. After this, what else? I have a Copa América, a World Cup, almost at the very end. I love football, what I do. I enjoy being part of the national team, the group. I want to enjoy a couple more matches being a world champion.”
