Argentine legend Lionel Messi confirmed that his football career is about to end after he finally lifted the long-awaited trophy and carried the burden of not winning it throughout his career to rise to the ranks of Diego Maradona
Messi led his country to its third title in the FIFA World Cup and the first since 1986, at the expense of France, by penalty kicks, in the final of the Qatar World Cup 2022
The 35-year-old, who won the tournament’s best player award, said in an interview with an Argentine channel, “It is clear that I want to end my career with this (title), I cannot ask for more. My career is nearing the end because these are my last years
And after many disappointments in the previous four editions he participated in, including losing the 2014 final to Germany in Brazil, Messi said he always felt his time would come
“It’s crazy that it happened, but it’s amazing. It’s amazing that it ended this way. I’ve said before that God will give me this (title), I don’t know why but I felt it would be this time
But he said, “I succeeded in winning the Copa America and now the World Cup, which I tried so hard to win. I won it at the end of my career, but I love football and I want to play more matches and I am the world champion
As for the match, Messi said that it was difficult to explain the scenario after Argentina gave up its two-goal lead when Kylian Mbappe equalized in the 80th and 81st minutes and took the confrontation to extension
Argentina advanced again through Messi (108), after he scored the first goal in the match from a penalty kick in the first half, but Mbappe completed the “hat-trick” in the 118th minute, so the match went to penalties
“It was a very strange match, like the one against the Netherlands (in the quarter-finals), and when we advanced in extra time, it happened again (the French equivalent),” said Al-Barghout, adding that the World Cup model is “very beautiful
Messi hugged his family and teammates after the match while coach Lionel Scaloni, winger Angel Di Maria, who scored Argentina’s second goal, and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez could not contain their tears after the final whistle
Former international Sergio Agüero lifted him onto his shoulders and paraded him across the pitch to a wave of the crowd
Messi has played 172 matches for Argentina, scoring 98 goals since his debut in 2005
