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Argentina wins the 2022 World Cup on penalties after defeating France
Lionel Messi scored two goals and then another in a shootout that lead to Argentina claiming its third World Cup.
Lionel Messi’s once-in-a-lifetime career is over. Argentina’s superstar has won the World Cup for the first time.
Argentina won the World Cup for the third time on penalties, defeating France 4-2 on penalties, despite Kylian Mbappé completing the first hat trick in a final in 56 years.
![Lionel Messi](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/GettyImages-1450104419.jpg?w=1296&h=730&crop=1)
There is no longer any debate. Messi is unquestionably among the best soccer players of all time, alongside Pelé — a record three-time World Cup champion from Brazil — and Diego Maradona, a late Argentina great with whom Messi was sometimes compared.
Messi did for Argentina what Maradona did in 1986: he dominated a World Cup. The torch will be passed to Mbappé, whose late goals lit up one of the tournament’s most spectacular finals in its 92-year history and making him the first player to score a hat trick in a final since 1966, but not just yet.
“Come on, Argentina!” During the post-match celebrations, Messi yelled into a microphone on the pitch.
Argentina took the lead from the penalty spot, then Messi assisted Angel Di Maria’s goal, which made it 2-0 after 36 minutes.
Mbappé scored two goals in 97 seconds to force extra time, and Messi added his second goal in the 109th minute. However, there was still time for another penalty from Mbappé to take the thrilling game to a shootout.
Gonzalo Montiel scored the clinching penalty kick after Kingsley Coman had an attempt saved by Argentina goalkeeper Emi Martinez and Aurelien Tchouameni missed for France.
Europe’s run of four straight World Cup winners came to an end. The last South American champion was Brazil, and that was also in Asia — when Japan and South Korea hosted the tournament in 2002.
Argentina previously won the World Cup in 1978 and 1986. In Qatar, the country built on its Copa America success from last year, its first major trophy since 1993. It’s a fitting end to Messi’s international career, which may not be ended even though he’s 35 and playing as brilliantly as ever.
It was also a fitting conclusion to a one-of-a-kind World Cup – the first to be held in the Middle East and the Arab world.
A final between two big soccer nations and the world’s two best players represented a perfect opportunity for FIFA and the Qatari organizers to close off a tournament marred by controversy from the scandal-plagued vote in 2010 to award the event to a tiny country.
Since then, the focus has been on the change in dates from June to December, harsh criticism of how migrant workers have been handled, and concern over delivering soccer’s largest event to a country where gay activities are prohibited.
On Sunday, most people had one story in mind: Could Messi do it?
He could, despite Mbappé, Messi’s colleague at PSG, doing everything he could to replicate Pelé by winning his first two World Cups.