Lionel Messi has moved quickly to end any doubt over his international playing future in the wake of Argentina’s triumph in the World Cup.
The greatest player the world has ever seen will not be hanging up his national shirt just yet after the thrill of winning it all.
“No, I’m not gonna retire from the national team,” Messi said post-match. “I want to keep playing as World Cup champions in the Argentina shirt.”
We can only hope for more moments like Monday because the football world has never seen anything like it.
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Argentina won its first World Cup since 1986 in one of the most dramatic, enthralling matches ever seen in the sport.
Lionel Messi completed his fairytale inside the Lusail Stadium to be sitting on top of the world for the first time, denying France the chance to defend their 2018 crown.
It was complete madness as the match headed into the agony of a penalty shoot-out.
In a truly bonkers World Cup final, both teams came close to finding the winner in the added time beyond the 120th minute, but the match headed into the shoot-out locked at 3-3.
It was end to end in the final frantic minutes and Argentina needed a brilliant leg save by keeper Lautaro Martinez to stop Kolo Muani from scoring a winner in the dying seconds.
Messi appeared to have his magic moment when he scored in extra time, but it was wiped out when Kylian Mbappe scored his third goal in the 118th minute.
It was the French freak’s eighth goal of the tournament and it secured him the golden boot by going one ahead of Messi.
Having missed out on the golden boot, Messi was called up onto the stage moments later when he was awarded the golden ball as the player of the tournament. He is the only player to win the Golden Ball twice.
The win completes the 35-year-old’s glorious career and he joins Diego Maradona as a god-like figure in the South American country.
The match was turned on its head earlier with France scoring two late goals in the space of 97 seconds.
Argentina looked minutes away a Lionel Messi fairytale before Kylian Mbappe popped up from nowhere to tie it up 2-2 in the 81st minute.
It was a simply stunning turnaround after Argentina had blown their opposition away with two goals in the first half.
It looked like France was at breaking point when manager Didier Deschamps made two shock substitutions before half time, dragging Olivier Giroud and Ousmane Demebele from the pitch.
Argentina continued to dominate for most of the second half, but everything changed when Argentina suddenly fell asleep with the finish line in sight.
The insanity was best shown by the fact France had only registered two shots on target in the first 82 minutes — the two goals they scored.
Sky Sports’ Adam Bate said: “This has turned into one of the greatest ever World Cup finals”.
It got even more epic when Messi scored in the 108th minute.
Mbappe then followed it up by becoming the second player to ever score a hat-trick in a World Cup final — becoming the first player since England’s Geoff Hurst in 1966 to do it.
“Can you believe it,” Martin Tyler said on SBS.
“There is disbelief in the stadium.”
English legend Gary Lineker tweeted: “In your life have you ever seen a game of football like that, let alone a World Cup final?
“This final is beyond belief.”
The drama reached a crescendo in the shoot-out with France missing two of the team’s first three penalties.
Mbappe and Messi both slotted their opening penalties to have the shoot-out at 1-1.
However, France fell to the pressure from there and it was all over when Gonzalo Montiel rolled in the deciding penalty to give Argentina their third World Cup and prevent France becoming the first team in 60 years to retain the trophy.
There were tears from both teams at full time — and Messi was also spotted looking overcome with emotion as he walked to one section of the stadium by himself to thank somebody in the crowd.
Commentators were completely flabbergasted by the spectacle.
A stunned Tyler said: “What a fairytale, what a final.
“It is the cruellest of ways to lose. But it has to be decided somehow. And the drama is unequivocal. And the scenes of joy on one side compared to the scenes of desperation on the other side. Well, Messi saluted around the globe. This is the holy grail. The genius has got the medal he chased for five tournaments.
“Forever this will be the Messi World Cup.”
Former England midfielder Jermaine Jenas said on BBC radio: “I can’t get my head around what I have just witnessed as a game. One of the greatest moments in footballing history.”
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinad also said: “We’ll never see anything like this again. I can’t imagine that happening. Where you see two great teams going toe to toe, no-one takes a back step. The two superstars on either team again slugging it out, goal for goal. Magnificent.”
4.30am: Extra time for the ages
Lionel Messi put Argentina ahead with a rebounded volley in the 108th minute.
In a goal that will almost certainly cement his place in history as a footballing god, Messi seized his moment after Hugo Lloris had blocked a shot that bounced in front of Messi.
His tap was blocked by a French defender but it was clear that the shot had crossed the line before it was kicked back out.
Then it turned again.
France equalised when a penalty was awarded for a handball inside the box.
Mbappe then stepped up to slot the penalty.
4.15am: France ties it up in absolute madness
The World Cup final was suddenly locked up at 2-2 after Kylian Mbappe scored two goals in two minutes.
His first came from a penalty after Kolo Muani exploded past Nicolas Otamendi. He went down after Otamendi grabbed some of his shirt.
One minute later Mbappe scored a brilliant volley that silenced Argentinian fans inside Lusail Stadium.
It was Lionel Messi who coughed up the ball before it was swept into Mbappe.
Mbappe’s seventh goal of the tournament saw him go ahead of Messi in the race for the golden boot.
Nobody could have seen it coming.
Socceroos great Craig Foster said at the end of 90 minutes on SBS: “It’s just an extraordinary final. I don’t know where France came from.
“We couldn’t see them coming back.”
English legend Gary Lineker posted on Twitter: “Mbappe. Wow”.
2.25am: Controversy as Messi scores opening goal after penalty
Lionel Messi has put Argentina ahead with the opening goal of the World Cup final.
He slotted a penalty where he was able to get Hugo Lloris diving the wrong way.
His spot kick came after Angel Di Maria made a dancing run into the area from the wing before he was nudged by Ousmane Dembele in a clumsy challenge.
Di Maria collapsed like a sack of spuds.
The goal in the 23rd minute saw the crowd inside the Lusail Stadium explode with cheers.
Messi is the first player to score in the group stage, round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final and final in a single edition of the World Cup.
His sixth goal of the tournament saw him go ahead of Kylian Mbappe in the race for the golden boot.
There has been debate about the penalty with accusations Di Maria took a dive.
Piers Morgan posted on Twitter: “That wasn’t a penalty”.
Fox Sports’ commentator Brenton Sped also wrote on Twitter: “Can’t believe that penalty was given in a World Cup final! Extraordinary”.
However, Sky Sports’ Joe Shread said: “It was daft from Dembele to touch Di Maria after he allowed him to dribble into the area, but the Argentina winger couldn’t wait to hit the floor – and the referee couldn’t wait to give the penalty.
“That was very, very soft.”
2.15am: Keeper in distress
French shot-stopper Hugo Lloris went down and stayed down after taking contact to his midsection early in the first half.
He appeared to take an elbow from Cristian Romero to the breadbasket while coming forward to snatch a high ball.
The two are teammates at Tottenham.
Medical officials came onto the field to attend to Lloris, but he was eventually able to get back to his feet.
“They are not friends today,” former England midfielder Jermaine Jenas said on the BBC.
“Lloris has taken a right elbow in his rib. Romero doesn’t mess around.”
12am: Illness strikes French team
The French team insists illness won’t be an issue for them despite a virus going around the squad.
Illness kept Adrien Rabiot and Dayot Upamecano out of the semifinal against Morocco, while central defensive pair Raphael Varane and Ibrahima Konate missed training on Friday, along with winger Kingsley Coman.
But the entire 24-man France squad attended a training session on the eve of the World Cup final and coach Didier Deschamps said the team were taking action to stop the spread of illness, which has affected a number of players.
“Obviously it would be better if this wasn’t happening but we are handling it as well as possible with our medical staff,” Deschamps said.
Deschamps and his captain Hugo Lloris both insisted they could not offer any health updates before the team trained. Covid testing is no longer mandated by FIFA.
