Messi wins World Cup, Argentina beat France on penalties

LUSAIL, QATAR: Lionel Messi's once-in-a-generation career is complete. The Argentina superstar is finally a World Cup champion. Messi scored two goals and then another in a shootout as Argentina beat France 4-2 on penalties after a 3-3 draw Sunday to claim a third World Cup title despite Kylian Mbappé scoring the first hat trick in a final in 56 years. Now there's no debate. Messi is definitively in the pantheon of soccer's greatest-ever players, alongside Pelé — a record three-time World Cup champion from Brazil — and Diego Maradona, late Argentina great with whom Messi was so often compared. Messi achieved what Maradona did in 1986 and dominated a World Cup for Argentina. The torch will one day pass to Mbappé, whose late goals lit up one of the most dramatic finals in the tournament's 92-year history and emulated Geoff Hurst's hat trick for England in 1966, but not just yet. "Let's go, Argentina!" Messi roared into a microphone on the field in the post-match celebrations after playing in a record 26th World Cup match. Messi was in scintillating form from the start, putting Argentina ahead from the penalty spot and playing a part in Angel Di Maria's goal that made it 2-0 after 36 minutes. Mbappé, on the other hand, was anonymous until scoring two goals in a 97-second span — one a penalty, the other a volley from just inside the area — to take the game to extra time. Messi tapped in his second goal in the 108th minute, leaving Argentina on the brink of the title once again, but there was still time for another penalty from Mbappé to take the thrilling game to a shootout. Gonzalo Montiel scored the clinching penalty kick after Kingsley Coman had an attempt saved by Argentina goalkeeper Emi Martinez and Aurelien Tchouameni missed for France. "This is my dream," Martinez said. Europe's run of four straight World Cup winners came to an end. The last South American champion was Brazil, and that was also in Asia — when Japan and South Korea hosted the tournament in 2002. Argentina won its previous World Cup titles in 1978 and 1986. In Qatar, the country backed up its victory from last year's Copa America, its first major trophy since 1993. It's quite the climax to Messi's international career, which might not yet be over at the age of 35 because he is playing as well as ever. After all, he finished the World Cup with seven goals, one behind Mbappé's tournament leading eight. It was quite the finale, too, for a unique World Cup — the first to be played in the Middle East and the Arab world. For FIFA and the Qatari organizers, a final between two major soccer nations and the world's two best players represented a perfect way to cap a tournament laced with controversy ever since the scandal-shrouded vote in 2010 to give the event to a tiny Arab emirate. The years-long scrutiny since has focused on the switch of dates from the traditional June-July period to November-December, strong criticism of how migrant workers have been treated, and then unease about taking soccer's biggest event to a nation where homosexual acts are illegal. On Sunday, there was one narrative at play for most people: Could Messi do it? He could, despite the 23-year-old Mbappé — Messi's teammate at Paris Saint-Germain — doing all he could to emulate Pelé by winning his first two World Cups. Messi became the first player to score in the group stage and each of the knockout rounds at a single World Cup. Ever since Argentina's unthinkable 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in their opening group game, Messi has been a man on a mission — embracing the responsibility of leading his national team at his final World Cup and playing in the spirit of Maradona by coupling his dazzling skills with rarely seen aggression. Maradona never scored in a final, though. Messi has, allowing him to erase memories of his only other World Cup final — in 2014 when Argentina lost to Germany 1-0 and Messi squandered a great chance in the second half. On that night at the Maracanã Stadium, Messi stared down at the golden World Cup trophy that escaped him. Eight years later, he will raise it aloft in the biggest moment of a career like no other. (Updated)  

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Messi wins World Cup to push claim to be soccer's GOAT LUSAIL, QATAR: After finally winning the World Cup, Lionel Messi made his strongest case yet to be considered soccer's greatest player of all time. It will never be possible to say definitively, though, even after Argentina's 4-2 penalty shootout victory over France on Sunday in the final at Lusail Stadium. Messi has been his country's inspiration throughout the tournament in Qatar and scored twice in the game that finished 3-3 through extra time. [caption id="attachment_31575" align="alignnone" width="1000"] France's Kylian Mbappe walks past the trophy at the end of the World Cup final soccer match between Argentina and France at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022. Argentina won 4-2 in a penalty shootout after the match ended tied 3-3. Photo: AP via RSS[/caption] Kylian Mbappe certainly made Messi work for a golden trophy that had eluded him throughout his storied career. The France forward scored a hat trick as the defending champions came back from 2-0 down and then evened the match again after Messi made it 3-2 in extra time. But this was Messi's night and Messi's World Cup. For some, no one will ever surpass Pele, who won the World Cup three times with Brazil. Even in Messi's homeland of Argentina, Diego Maradona remains, for many, the country's ultimate soccer icon after captaining the national team to the 1986 World Cup title. And for the past 15 years or so, Messi has had a personal rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo just to establish himself as the finest player of his generation. Competition is fierce when it comes to determining the greatest of all time, or the GOAT, as it has come to be known. It can come down to the smallest of margins that separate players of such brilliance. [caption id="attachment_31571" align="alignnone" width="1000"] Argentina's Lionel Messi scores his side's 3rd goal during the World Cup final soccer match between Argentina and France at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022. Photo: AP via RSS[/caption] Messi's failure to win the sport's biggest prize has always counted against him when measuring his achievements against Pele and Maradona. The same goes for Ronaldo. Messi is a seven-time winner of the Ballon d'Or award for the best player in the world and lifted club soccer's biggest prize, the Champions League trophy, on four occasions. He ended his wait for a first major trophy with his country at last year's Copa America. The World Cup, however, is the ultimate measure of greatness and Pele and Maradona secured immortality with inspirational performances on that stage. That had eluded Messi until Sunday. [caption id="attachment_31572" align="alignnone" width="1000"] Argentina's Lionel Messi, left, and France's Youssouf Fofana run for the ball during the World Cup final soccer match between Argentina and France at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022. Photo: AP via RSS[/caption] Yes, he was part of the Argentina team that lost to Germany 1-0 in 2014 final, but the magic he produced game in, game out during his peak years for Barcelona never seemed to translate when wearing the blue and white stripes of his country. At 35 and nearing the end of his career, the tournament in Qatar was widely seen as his final shot at the World Cup. And if that is the case, he saved his best for last. Messi does not dominate over 90 minutes anymore but instead decides matches with moments of genius. He scored seven goals in Qatar, but, arguably, his assists have been more memorable. His disguised pass for Nahuel Molina's goal against the Netherlands in the quarterfinals was weighed and measured to perfection. His twisting and turning run to beat Croatia defender Joško Gvardiol and set up teammate Julian Alvarez in the semifinals felt like peak Messi, only in slow motion. He has now surpassed Pele with 13 goals at World Cups and is tied for fourth with Just Fontaine on the all-time list. His seven in this year's tournament surpassed Maradona's five at the 1986 edition in Mexico. Messi has now scored a national team-record of 98 goals in 172 games. That places him third in the all-time scoring list for men's internationals, behind Cristiano Ronaldo (118) and Ali Daei (109). There has been a sense of destiny for Messi and Argentina, even after its shocking 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in the team's opening game of the World Cup. Messi had to summon every bit of energy in his ageing limbs to get Argentina through the final and hold off Mbappe. Leading 2-0 and cruising to the title as the game approached the last 10 minutes, Mbappe intervened to remind everyone that he has already overtaken Messi and Ronaldo as the best player in the world right now. He scored in the 80th and 81st minutes to turn the game upside down. When Messi put Argentina back in front in the 108th minute, he looked to have scored the winner. But Mbappe's penalty in the 118th saw the Paris Saint-Germain star complete the first hat trick in a World Cup final in 56 years. In the penalty shootout, Gonzalo Montiel scored the decisive kick to secure Messi's place among the pantheon of greats and, perhaps, confirm his position as the true GOAT. By RSS/AP READ ALSO:

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