As Lionel Messi, the 35-year-old Argentinian captain, celebrated his career-defining moment at the first World Cup to be held in the Middle East, he was given a special garment to wear. The Emir of Qatar presented Messi with a traditional black Arabic cloak called a bisht, which he wore over his blue-and-white striped Argentina shirt. The significance of this momentous occasion will forever be associated with Messi and his connection to the first Middle Eastern World Cup.
At the age of 35, Messi, who is currently employed by Qatar-owned French team Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), has finally achieved football’s most prestigious prize. This marks the perfect conclusion to Qatar’s 12-year World Cup journey, which began with their bid and culminated in the final at the newly built Lusail stadium – the centerpiece of the country’s £200bn makeover for the month-long event. Messi expressed his desire for this victory, saying that he knew that God would grant him this gift, adding that he had a feeling that this was the one. Winning every major European and world club honor with Barcelona before Qatar controversially secured the 2010 FIFA World Cup, this victory solidified Messi’s destiny as one of the greatest players of all time. This final showcased Messi’s unwavering brilliance, as he scored two goals, bringing his total to seven goals and three assists in Qatar 2022. For Messi, this achievement is much more than just career longevity.
During the first half, Argentina took the lead thanks to a penalty that was scored by Messi. This goal made him the first player to score in every knock-out round of a single World Cup. Later on, there was an impressive move involving Messi which ended with Di Maria scoring the second goal just before half-time. Argentina could have suffered a tremendous blow if they had lost, but fortunately, they succeeded in a shootout. France, who had not managed to shoot on target for 80 minutes, came back with Mbappe’s two goals in two minutes. Messi almost sealed the game during regular time, but Lloris saved it with his fingertips. Then, during extra time, Messi scored again to put Argentina ahead, yet Mbappe completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot. However, Argentina managed to draw level in the shootout, and Mbappe and Messi both missed their first attempts. Nevertheless, two French misses proved fatal because Argentina scored all of their four penalties.
Messi is eagerly anticipating a return to Argentina to witness the crazy celebrations. He left the World Cup with no regrets, without dwelling on the missed chance in the 2014 final or feeling compelled to make a comeback at the age of 39. Regardless of how long he continues playing, his legendary career will be fulfilled with a sense of contentment.
