At Lusail Stadium, in the pitch-black, Lionel Messi made his lone entrance into a solitary spotlight to finally claim the one prize that had painstakingly eluded him throughout his glittering career.
Messi had fulfilled his ambition. After what was perhaps the most magnificent World Cup final in history, a game for the ages that tore at the emotions and played havoc with the pulse rates before Argentina's superstar reached his summit, the gap in his brilliant collection had been filled, making the set complete.
He now has the World Cup to go along with his seven Ballon d'Ors, four Champions Leagues, one Copa America, ten La Liga championships with Barcelona, and a French Ligue 1 trophy with Paris St-Germain.
This trophy will now serve as "Exhibit A" for the millions of Messi supporters who believe he is the best player to ever play the game.
With this trophy, which is about 15 inches of solid gold, many people will now proclaim that Messi is the best player ever, making it more difficult for anyone who would disagree to make their case.
No one can now dispute Messi belongs in the same pantheon as Pele and another whose image was on many Argentina banners at Lusail Stadium on Sunday. Comparisons are expanded over generations, which adds a different frame to all the arguments.
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| Argentina’s crowning moment |
Naturally, Diego Maradona, the renowned player who wore the number 10 for Argentina, had a strong argument for the best. The key distinction was always his World Cup victory in Mexico 36 years prior, something Messi could not achieve. It has since been taken away.
Messi will always be mentioned in discussions about the greatest, and the fact that he has already received the highest honor the international game can bestow makes the case for his talents even more compelling.
How would you even begin to describe Messi's journey to the top? How do you describe the sequence of events that ultimately resulted in Argentina's World Cup victory and the tournament's grand finale, which will always be associated with Lionel Messi?
Given his history of World Cup heartbreak and disappointment, which dates back to 2006 and includes a defeat to Germany in the 2014 final in Rio's Maracana, Messi should have understood that this was an honor that would not be won easily.
Before Argentina and Messi reached the pinnacles of their third World Cup victory, this beautiful night at Lusail Stadium held a great deal of pain, which may have made it even more delicious.
And it was all accomplished in the face of brilliance from Kylian Mbappe of France, a 23-year-old who, if he is not already there, will join Lionel Messi in any discussion about the sport's true elite in the years to come.
In spite of rarely making a threat for 80 minutes, France seemed to be laying the garland for Messi's coronation. Messi made Lusail his playground as he converted the opening penalty kick for Argentina, becoming the first player in World Cup history to score in the group stage, round of 16, quarterfinal, semifinal, and championship matches all in the same tournament.
The game then proceeded as expected, with Argentina supporters beginning to celebrate, until the eagerly anticipated battle with Mbappe was joined in stunning fashion. Messi then contributed to the creation of Angel di Maria's second.
With ten minutes remaining, Mbappe equalized from the penalty spot before launching an incredible volley seconds later. Messi's expression of "not again" disbelief could be seen on the enormous displays that lined the stadium's four corners.
Incorporating the 34-year-old Di Maria, who wore down Jules Kounde, was a brilliant move by Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni. However, after 64 minutes, when his team was ahead, Scaloni appeared to cave in to fatal conservatism by substituting the laborious Marcos Acuna.
Of course, Messi's second in overtime gave Argentina the victory, but Mbappe's penalty gave France the equalizer after they had been outplayed earlier.
In the final seconds, with the World Cup at stake, Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez made a foot save from Randal Kolo Muani in a nearly hysterical atmosphere. However, Lautaro Martinez still had time to head wide of an open goal at the other end.
It would be an understatement to say that extra time was tense; several supporters had to avert their eyes from the action due to the intense anxiety.
It was incredibly tense, and when it came to penalties, Argentina won 4-2. It was a painful way to end a match that will now be brought up whenever the World Cup is discussed.
Messi fell to his knees in tears and raised his arms to the skies when Gonzalo Montiel scored the game-winning goal before being buried beneath a sea of light blue and white striped shirts.
Then, amidst scenes of jubilant chaos, he commandeered a microphone to address Argentina's supporters.
After also winning the award in 2014, Messi claimed the Golden Ball as the tournament's player of the year, becoming the first player to do it since it was first introduced in 1982.
With 13 goals and 8 assists, he has now contributed to 21 goals for Argentina at World Cups, the most of any player for any country. He now has 793 goals in his career after his goals in this World Cup final. In the same men's World Cup, he was also the first player to score in every round.
On this particular evening, one statistic stood out above all others: Messi had finally won the World Cup.
He basked in the knowledge that he can finally fill that one hole in his trophy case as he sat atop the figure-of-eight stage on which he and his team had collected the World Cup. It was a stage that was afterwards crowded with Argentina's team members' relatives and friends.
In order to honor the player they relied on, Argentina's fans remained in their seats for well over an hour, singing along to the songs that served as the World Cup campaign's soundtrack. he who had made the delivery.
The initial shock of Saudi Arabia's defeat seemed to have been decades away. With a spectacular goal against Mexico, Messi kicked off Argentina's World Cup, and he was unstoppable as he led it to victory.
The golden prize was in Messi's hands. It was a goal that had been set for him more than 16 years prior, when he scored as a substitute in a 6-0 victory over Serbia and Montenegro in Germany.
With so many unexpected turns in the script, Messi's World Cup story's final chapter versus France was a thriller from start to finish. It was the ideal conclusion to a night in Qatar that will never be forgotten.