In a World Cup final for the ages, it was fitting that Argentina and Lionel Messi came out on top, strengthening his case as the best player in the history of men’s soccer.

Messi’s first World Cup win—and Argentina’s first since 1986—was a moment made even more special by how he earned it. After going up 2–0 in the first half against a listless French team, it looked like La Albiceleste were going to cruise to victory. But then Kylian Mbappé happened.

With his brilliant play after halftime (he scored all three of France’s goals), Mbappé proved again that he’s the kind of player who can take over a game on his own and made the case that, at some point in the future, he may be worthy of being mentioned alongside Messi at the top of the sport.

But Sunday in Lusail was Messi’s moment. He nearly won the game in the closing moments of regulation with a laser beam from outside the box. Then he gave Argentina a 3–2 lead in extra time with a goal that seemed as though it would be the winner until Mbappé converted a penalty 10 minutes later. Both players stepped up when their teams needed them, including in the ensuing shootout when Messi and Mbappé went first for their respective sides and converted their kicks. For the neutral observer, a penalty shootout is an unsatisfying way for a classic game to end. But try telling Messi and Argentina this result was anything less than perfect. As Brian Straus writes, Messi had long struggled not only to achieve success with the national team but to embrace his role as its leader. This time, though, in his final World Cup, Messi embraced the challenge, rose to the occasion and served as an inspiration to his teammates who were eager to win for him:

Remember when Messi was a shy, reluctant and reticent figure, beleaguered by expectations and comparisons and playing, at least for Argentina, as if he was uncomfortable in both his own skin and that famous striped jersey? This World Cup has been the opposite. Messi the hype man has been expressive and joyful, accessible and more talkative than usual. (Although he still bailed on Sunday’s postgame press conference after picking up his fifth Man of the Match award. There were celebrations to attend to, including an unannounced open-top bus parade along the shopping street adjacent to the stadium.) He’s reveled in his role and this opportunity, and that in turn has inspired his team. At 35, the greatest somehow found another gear.

The World Cup trophy had long been the missing piece of Messi’s legacy. Now that he has it, you can make a convincing argument that he’s the best player in history. And after having tried for so long to become world champion, Messi is going to soak it all in. He’s going to take a victory lap.

“No, I’m not gonna retire from the national team,” Messi said. “I want to keep playing as World Cup champions.”

The best of Sports Illustrated

Speaking of legends nearing the end of their careers, today’s Daily Cover, by Howard Beck, is about LeBron James and how the Lakers are squandering one of his final effective seasons:

Few players can relate to what James is now enduring—as a living legend, still thriving in his twilight, yet bound to a ramshackle roster. In fact, on the most literal level, no one can truly relate. Because the bleak situation James now faces in Los Angeles is virtually unprecedented for a player of his age and caliber.

The Lakers—now 12th in the West, three games under .500 with a third of the season gone—are careening toward catastrophe, with a roster that’s too thin to support their aging legend. And now costar Anthony Davis is out again, with a foot injury that could cost him several weeks. The Lakers (13–16) seem likely to miss the playoffs next spring, just as they missed the playoffs last spring, despite another All-NBA showing by James.

The Jaguars’ last-ditch playoff push is giving NFL fans something to root for in a season where the upper tiers in each conference are more or less decided, Conor Orr writes.
Kirk Cousins spoke with Albert Breer about the Vikings’ 33-point comeback against the Colts.
Wilton Jackson was in Atlanta for Deion Sanders’s final game as coach at Jackson State, where his Tigers were denied an undefeated season.
Matt Martell argues that by signing Dansby Swanson, the Cubs are making a push to be title contenders again.

The top five...

… things I saw yesterday:

5. The Lions fan who was running pass-blocking drills during his tailgate.

4. Nikola Jokić’s absurd stat line: 40 points, 27 rebounds and 10 assists. (He’s only the third player in NBA history to have a game like that.)

3. Rayshawn Jenkins’s walk-off pick-six for the Jaguars.

2. The Raiders’ game-winning touchdown after Jakobi Meyers’s inexplicable lateral.

1. Argentina-born Andres Cantor’s emotional call of the clinching penalty on Telemundo.

SIQ

When the Dawson City Nuggets began their journey to Ottawa 118 years ago this week to challenge for the Stanley Cup, which of the following modes of transportation did they not take?

Horse
Dog sled
Bicycle
Foot

Friday’s SIQ: When Drew Brees surpassed Peyton Manning for the most career NFL touchdown passes in 2019, who caught the record-setting score?

Michael Thomas
Josh Hill
Tre’Quan Smith
Jared Cook

Answer: Josh Hill. The record-setter was Brees’s third touchdown of the night in a 34–7 blowout against the Colts. Brees found Hill on a five-yard play-action pass for his 540th career TD.

Brees was happy that it was Hill, who joined the Saints as an undrafted free agent out of Idaho State in 2013 and ended up having an eight-year NFL career, who caught the historic pass.

“I love the fact it was Josh Hill,” Brees said after the game. “The epitome of a great teammate, kind of an unsung hero. He’s done an unbelievable job. I have so much trust and confidence in him.”

Brees didn’t hold onto the record for long, though. Tom Brady passed Manning’s former mark on the final day of the 2019 season, and he and Brees spent the next season jockeying for position on the leaderboard. After Brees missed four games with 11 cracked ribs, he finished the ’20 season (and his career) with 571 touchdowns, while Brady had 581. Brady has spent the last two seasons running up the score. He’s got 644 touchdowns now.

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