Argentina overcame France 4-2 on penalties in the World Cup final on Sunday at the Lusail Stadium, giving Lionel Messi the trophy for the first time. Messi had been without a World Cup title for a while, most notably the agonizing loss to Germany in the 2014 championship game. After Argentina won the World Cup, Messi, who had two goals in the championship, wrote an emotional message to the supporters on Instagram. The trophy was Messi’s dream to win, and he thanked the supporters for their encouragement along the way.
“World Champions! I dreamed of it so many times, I wanted it so much that I still haven’t fallen, I can’t believe it. Thank you very much to my family, to all who support me, and also to all who believed in us. We demonstrate once again that Argentines when we fight together and united we are capable of achieving what we set out to do. The merit belongs to this group, which is above individualities, it is the strength of all fighting for the same dream that was also the dream of all Argentines… We did it! Go Argentina! we are seeing each other very soon,” Messi captioned a photo album on Instagram.
The 35-year-old scored twice in the tumultuous final, which ended 3-3 after 120 riveting minutes before the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner scored his penalty kick in Argentina’s 4-2 victory in the shootout. Despite finally achieving his lifelong dream of winning the World Cup, Messi promised to keep representing his nation after the final. “I want to keep experiencing a few more matches as world champion,” Messi told Argentine television after the match.
However, after the Argentina captain won the one significant international title that was missing from his collection, Messi acknowledged that his career was practically over. “Obviously I would like to end my career with this, I cannot ask for more. My career is nearly over because these are my last years,” he added.
