Having won the FIFA World Cup last year, Lionel Messi gave a subtle retirement hint about his future and it could surprise fans.
Having won the FIFA World Cup 2022 final last year in Qatar, Lionel Messi finally lived up to his aim of winning the much-coveted trophy. The victory also meant that the Argentine genius has now won every single tournament for his country. Argentina reigned supreme against France in the final, sealing a 4-2 win in penalties after the match ended in a 3-3 draw in a thrilling final. In a closely-fought final, the CONMEBOL side first took the lead in the 23rd-minute through captain Messi, who converted a penalty after Angel Di Maria was fouled in the French box. After that, a quick counter-attack in the 36th-minute saw Alexis MacAllister assist Di Maria, who made it 2-0.
With Argentina cruising to an easy win, Kylian Mbappe came to France’s rescue and staged a comeback. Mbappe levelled proceedings within 97 seconds, scoring a penalty in the 80th-minute after Kolo Muani was brought down in the Argentine box. Then in the 81st-minute, Mbappe made it 2-2 with a stunning volley.
In extra-time, Messi made it 3-2 for Argentina in the 108th-minute, scoring after some poor defending. But Mbappe once again came to his side’s rescue in the 118th-minute to make it 3-3. In what turned out to be a nerve-wracking penalty shootout, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez came out on top to deny Aurelien Tchouameni and Kingsley Coman as Argentina sealed a 4-2 victory.
