World Cup 2022: Lionel Messi has finally won the World Cup in the greatest finals
This World Cup has been the epitome of greatness as Lionel Messi has finally laid hands on the World Cup trophy.
This was the greatest World Cup final in FIFA history. Argentina also won its third World Cup after defeating France on penalties following a tense 3-3 draw.
More tellingly, it was a kind of belated coronation for the greatest footballer of the age, if not the age, the mooching 35-year-old mobile brain Lionel Messi, a thousand games into his incredible career.
This was an emotional rollercoaster, a game that appeared to have been won at least four times in the 120 minutes before it was finally won with the tournament’s final kick. There was a twist even here. This World Cup final was supposed to be a clash of geniuses, a Messi-Kylian Mbappe dynastic arm wrestle. It did in a variety of ways. Mbappe scored the first hat-trick in a men’s World Cup final since Geoff Hurst in 1966 and still lost.
But the game also came down to good old-fashioned malandro gamesmanship, as embodied by Argentina’s goalkeeper Emiliano Martnez’s chest-puffing antics, who chucked the ball away, advanced on the French kickers, and nearly screwed himself into the ground after each unsuccessful kick.
Lionel Messi was buried in the centre circle under a knot of blue and white as Gonzalo Montiel’s winning kick billowed the net, a beautifully soft moment before the night dissolved into a wave of static.
He eventually broke free and walked away, waving both hands, alone in the chaos except for a passing cameraman who recognized his own money shot. In the end, it’s only fitting that Messi should celebrate a World Cup in the same way he won it: by walking around alone.
In so many ways, this was a Lionel Messi story. Messi scored seven goals and was named the Golden Ball winner at Qatar 2022. He toyed with some of the greatest footballers on earth. He did all of this while being 35 years old and semi-injured. This is not normal. At some stage it will start to stretch the bounds of credibility.
In addition, he is a part of the larger story of this $7 billion sporting extravaganza. The emir of Qatar, who also happens to be Messi’s employer, presented him with a robe to wear as he accepted the World Cup trophy.
You get what you pay for, and Qatar had a flawless final here. You have to admire the thoroughness, a blueprint that says we will not only pay for the World Cup but for the players who are most likely to be on the podium at the end: a Messi, a Mbappe, paid ambassadors of Qatar Sports Investments via dizzying contracts with Paris Saint-Germain. This is the real deal: fully encrypted end-to-end sportswashing. It’s an incredible act of willpower.
Lionel Messi was outstanding throughout the game. From the start the colours were perfect. The deep French blue, Argentina’s Albiceleste, the lime-green grass, and the cold white stadium lights. The opening five minutes of any Messi performance have been much discussed in recent weeks. Messi watches for those five minutes.
He did it right here. He scans, does a panorama, walks, scouts his opponents. And Messi’s walk isn’t exactly walking. It is contemplating. His rapid eye movement, his spinning disc as he crunches the code, is walking. Messi averages three miles per game. He is not doing this to improve his steps.
And from the start Argentina were more fluid than at any stage to this point, Ángel Di María providing another point of incision on the left. It was a strange sensation. Messi became almost overly involved. This is billed as the World Cup of Moments. Don’t waste it. Keep it safe. Allow it to bloom.
🐐Lionel Messi’s Major Honours;
— FIFA World Cup Stats (@alimo_philip) December 18, 2022
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 La Liga
🏆🏆🏆🏆 UEFA Champions League
🎖️🎖️🎖️🎖️🎖️🎖️🎖️ Ballon D’Or
🏆 Ligue 1
🏆 U-20 World Cup
🥇 Olympics Gold
🏆 Copa America
🏆 Finalissima
🏆 FIFA World Cup
🐐The Greatest of all Time-GOAT #FIFAWorldCup|#Messi𓃵 pic.twitter.com/X9mEA1kEht
Lionel Messi duly scored the opening goal from the spot, made by Di María. Argentina’s second goal was a fantastic team effort. Messi contributed early on, with a sublime 45-degree pass. Di Mara finished expertly, then collapsed, drunk on the glory, noise, space, and light.
Didier Deschamps ripped up his attack. France took a brief break from the game. And so the twists began. Mbappe made it 2-1 after 80 minutes, then 2-2 with a stunning finish. In the VVIP boxes Emmanuel Macron “went off on one”, the gravely intellectual president of the republic hooting, leaping and honking like a startled goose.
Argentina had gone. The team that appeared to be romping towards glory like handsome schoolboys appeared frazzled, lost, and done. Argentina responded by scoring again through Messi, before Mbappe equalised from the penalty spot. Then there were the penalties and the final moment of grace.
One Comment