Watch: Lionel Messi falls, breaks down as cameras capture exact moment Argentina captain realised he won FIFA World Cup
Argentina produced a phenomenal performance to lift their third FIFA World Cup title on Sunday, defeating France 4-2 (3-3) via penalty shootout at the Lusail Stadium. Lionel Messi shined for the side as scored two goals throughout the 120 minutes of the game, and calmly slotted the penalty in the back of the net in the shootout. As he lifted the trophy on Sunday, Messi completed his international trophy cabinet with both major titles to his name (Copa America and FIFA World Cup).
Messi was the first to take the penalty and converted the spot-kick with ease. His teammate Gonzalo Montiel scored the decisive kick to secure Messi’s place among the pantheon of greats, and assure Argentina their third World Cup title.
As soon as Montiel converted the spot-kick, Messi broke down in tears as his fellow Argentine teammates ran over to hug him, celebrating the World title that had eluded the footballing great for so long.
Watch Messi’s emotional celebrations after the World Cup win here:
France’s Kylian Mbappe certainly made Messi work for a golden trophy throughout the game. The France forward scored a hat-trick as the defending champions came back from 2-0 down and then evened the match again after Messi made it 3-2 in extra time. But this was Messi’s night and Messi’s World Cup.
The Argentina captain was part of the national team that lost to Germany 1-0 in the 2014 final, but the magic he produced game in, game out during his peak years for Barcelona never seemed to translate when wearing the blue and white stripes of his country.
At 35 and nearing the end of his career, the tournament in Qatar was widely seen as his final shot at the World Cup. And if that is the case, he saved his best for last. He has now surpassed Pele with 13 goals at World Cups and is tied for fourth with Just Fontaine on the all-time list. His seven in this year’s tournament surpassed Maradona’s five at the 1986 edition in Mexico.
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