Lionel Messi on Sunday “completed football” after he led Argentina to a long awaited FIFA World Cup trophy haul with a dramatic win against France in the final at the Lusail Stadium. Kylian Mbappe’s stunning late double in a space of just 97 seconds nullified Messi and Di Maria’s first-half strikes to force extra time. The 23-year-old equalised for the second time in the match to cancel out Messi’s second goal. Argentina eventually beat France 4-2 via penalty shootout to win their first World Cup trophy in 36 years. After the final, Brazil soccer legend Pele shared a million-dollar post on Messi on social media while also sympathising with “dear friend” Mbappe.
Pele congratulated Argentina and admitted that Messi deserved to win the trophy. He also hailed Mbappe for for scoring a World Cup final hat-trick a first of its kind since 1966. He also reserved special praise for Morocco and their fairytale run to the semis.
“Today, football continues to tell its story, as always, in an enthralling way. Messi winning his first World Cup, as his trajectory deserved. My dear friend, Mbappé, scoring four goals in a final. What a gift it was to watch this spectacle to the future of our sport. And I couldn’t fail to congratulate Morocco for the incredible campaign. It’s great to see Africa shine. Congratulations Argentina! Certainly Diego is smiling now,” he wrote.
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Mbappe on Sunday was aiming to become the youngest since Pele to win two World Cup titles. While Messi’s Argentina denied the 23-year-old the glory for the second time in his career, Mbappe eventually levelled Pele’s another record – for most goals in World Cups. Both are presently tied in the sixth spot with 12 goals.
As for both Messi and Mbappe, there were rivals on the field at the Lusail Stadium on Sunday, but will be sharing the dressing room later at the end of this month when they return to Paris Saint-Germain to resume their Ligue 1 campaign