This will go down as one of the most thrilling finals in recent World Cup history!
Today’s match (18 December 2022) in Qatar ended in glory for Messi, and played out as a fitting culmination of his extraordinary career.
Messi opened the scoring with a first-half penalty kick, making history as the first player to ever score in every stage of the tournament. He scored again in the second period of extra time, buoying a shocked Argentina side that was still reeling from France’s lightning-fast comeback.
And when all the pressure was on Messi during a penalty shootout, the exhausted veteran coolly deposited the ball into the back of the net. Not long after, Argentina’s talisman was celebrating with his teammates, and holding aloft a World Cup trophy that alluded him throughout a storied career.
Argentina ended their 36-year wait for World Cup glory with a 4-2 penalty shootout victory over France in a truly remarkable final. After his team’s triumph in the World Cup final, Argentina legend Lionel Messi was awarded the Golden Ball, the prize given to the best player in the tournament.
The sublime finals performance moved Messi into the position of favorite for the Golden Ball award, which is given to the tournament’s best player. Messi becomes the only player in World Cup history to win the Golden Ball twice. He also won it in 2014.
