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World Cup victory cements Messi as football GOAT - CtrlF.XYZ

World Cup victory cements Messi as football GOAT

2 years ago 98

By Damien McCartney and AP

After Argentina's past 2 World Cup campaigns ended successful heartbreak, their triumph successful Qatar is simply a communicative of redemption.

They mislaid the 2014 last successful Brazil 1-0 to Germany, and past mislaid successful the circular of 16 - ironically to France - past clip retired successful Russia.

Lionel Messi had won conscionable astir everything their was to triumph astatine an planetary level, and astatine nine level.

AS IT HAPPENED: 2022 FIFA World Cup final

IN PICTURES: 2022 FIFA World Cup final

He's been successful the speech arsenic the top footballer of each clip for years, but to cement his spot astatine the apical - and de-throne compatriot Diego Maradona - galore believed helium needed to usher Argentina to a World Cup. He's done that now.

"Today it's not conscionable an unthinkable shot story, it's an unthinkable sporting story," Craig Foster said connected SBS.

"This is 1 of the large stories of redemption. It's 1 of the large stories of resilience. One of the large stories of determination. One of the large stories of stepping up to the top unit that determination is."

To headdress disconnected the fairytale, helium was besides awarded the Golden Ball for Player of the Tournament - the 2nd clip he's won the award. He's the archetypal subordinate to ever triumph it twice.

Messi and Angel Di Maria - who was astir apt the standout subordinate successful the archetypal fractional - person played overmuch of their younker shot together.

Foster said that narration shone done successful the final.

"(Messi) and Di Maria spell backmost to the younker team, under-20s, and past 2004 Athens Olympics they played unneurotic and that's however agelong they've known each other.

"Their transportation successful that archetypal fractional was wide for each to see, it was similar they were kids again playing together."

Messi became the archetypal subordinate to people successful the radical signifier and each of the knockout rounds astatine a azygous World Cup.

Ever since Argentina's unthinkable 2-1 nonaccomplishment to Saudi Arabia successful their opening radical game, Messi has been a antheral connected a ngo - embracing the work of starring his nationalist squad astatine his last World Cup and playing successful the tone of Maradona by coupling his dazzling skills with seldom seen aggression.

Maradona ne'er scored successful a final, though. Messi has, allowing him to erase memories of that 2014 final, wherever helium squandered a large accidental successful the 2nd half.

On that nighttime astatine the Maracanã Stadium, Messi stared down astatine the aureate World Cup trophy that escaped him.

Eight years later, helium raised it aloft successful the biggest infinitesimal of a vocation similar nary other.

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