Lionel Messi's conquest of the global game is complete (2024)

Lionel Messi’s conquest of the global game is complete. At the climax of the most exhausting, see-sawing, nerve-shredding World Cup final ever staged, the Argentina captain bowed out of international football with his defining masterpiece, a match-winning star turn to seize the one prize that had eluded him. Aged 35, the greatest player of his generation, perhaps of any generation, has found his ultimate fulfilment.

But how agonisingly the gratification was delayed. Twice France, turbo-charged by the jet heels of Kylian Mbappe, struck back from seemingly certain defeat to hold up Messi’s coronation. It was testament to the astounding quality of this match that Mbappe, 23, scored the first hat-trick in a World Cup final since Geoff Hurst in 1966 – and still lost. Messi, knowing this was his last dance, refused to be thwarted, stroking home his penalty in the shoot-out before France folded.

As delirium engulfed Lusail Stadium, this shimmering golden palace in the Qatari desert, Messi’s three sons, Thiago, Mateo and Ciro, all raced on to the pitch to embrace him. Their urge was shared by just about every man, woman and child in Argentina.

From the streets of Messi’s native Rosario to the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires, an entire country had craved this World Cup triumph with a febrile intensity. Now they have their third, breaking a 36-year drought since their last. And what makes it infinitely sweeter is that Messi, their diminutive demi-god, has his first.

Among those celebrating was the Prince of Wales, who tweeted: "What. A. Final. Congratulations to Argentina and to Messi. Commiserations to France – both teams played brilliantly." The message was signed 'W' – indicating it was written by the heir to the throne himself.

The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, insisted that Messi could not lift the trophy without first being draped in a black bisht, a traditional men’s cloak in the Arab world. It was an incongruous sight, and a revealing reflection of the political tensions that have framed this World Cup. Messi is a dream symbol of this hugely controversial tournament, disfigured by the deaths of migrant workers and persistent allegations of corruption, investing it with true sporting greatness. But the hosts could not let him start the revelries without first claiming a piece of him.

Argentina are deserving champions, their supporters bringing vibrancy to an often sterile World Cup setting and their iconic player delivering under maximum pressure. The ultras, preparing to celebrate deep into the Doha night, bowed down to Messi in homage. Such is the religious fervour he inspires, just as Diego Maradona did at his zenith. For Messi is not just the face of this team, but the emblem of an ideal, a hero to millions beyond his homeland for the sheer, intoxicating joy with which he imbues his craft.

En route to this final, an Argentinian reporter had told him the result of this final was immaterial, that his true impact was measured by the mark he had left in the lives of anyone who had ever kicked a ball. It was a sweet sentiment, although it did little to sway a figure of Messi’s perfectionism. He knew that this was the only chance he had left to be a World Cup winner, and he grasped it as only he knew, becoming the first man to score in every round of the tournament.

The only accolade of which he was deprived was the Golden Boot, as Mbappe vaulted past him with his own stunning treble. But Messi can claim a distinction that eclipses any individual accolades. To be part of a triumphant World Cup team was the one feat he needed to adorn a career that has spanned 820 goals for club and country, not to mention a record seven Ballon d’Or awards.

Now, the comparisons with Pele and Maradona, both champions in national colours, feel entirely fitting. As for the endless debate comparing him to Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi’s standing as the pre-eminent star of the age is officially undisputed.

Some day, if the parties in Argentina ever relent, Messi will return to Paris St Germain, his Qatari-owned club. But there must be an overwhelming temptation to make this his final act. Most in sport do not have the luxury of scripting their farewells, but Messi ensured that he took his leave where he belonged, at the summit.

His was no mere ceremonial contribution either. He bent this match to his will, scoring one first-half penalty to spark his team-mates’ belief, before Angel di Maria rounded off a beautiful sweeping move to put them two ahead.

And out of sight? It surely seemed that way, with France curiously lethargic, as if drained by the flu-like virus that had afflicted several of their players. But this was to reckon without the exhilarating talent of Mbappe. Subdued for 80 minutes, this lightning winger – the surest contender to carry the torch from Messi eventually – lashed in a penalty and then a glorious equaliser moments later, as the substitutes charged on to mob him. Even Emmanuel Macron, the French president, had by now removed his jacket amid the giddiness of it all, imploring the defending champions to go for the kill.

Except this sprawling match had the plot twists worthy of a true epic. Messi was not finished, conjuring a superbly opportunistic goal in extra time to quell the French resistance. Sometimes, these finals do not unfold as clashes of dominant personalities, but this was a compelling exception. Mbappe, already a scorer in a World Cup final as a teenager, had one last improbable encore to produce, levelling at 3-3 from the penalty spot after Gonzalo Montiel’s handball.

The stage was laid for the tumultuous denouement. When it was Messi’s turn in the shoot-out, he did not falter, finishing with an insouciant flourish that gave Argentina an advantage they would never relinquish. Two French misses, by Kingsley Coman and Aurelien Tchouameni, set up Montiel to apply the coup de grace.

Messi crumpled to his knees, in part through gratitude and in part through pure, ecstatic relief. Truly, it was a final to take the breath away.