It was exactly a year ago on this day when Lionel Messi led Argentina to a 4-2 victory on penalties against France to clinch the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar and the craze around that moment is still fresh in the minds of fans. It ended a 36-year wait for Argentina after coming close in 2014.
Argentina once again came close to losing the final in extra time. However, Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez made an outstanding save to take the match to penalties. Argentina went onto win the match 4-2 on penalties.
How Messi climbed his Mt Everest
Messi himself scored twice, including a late extra-time goal that appeared to seal the deal for Argentina. France’s Kylian Mbappe, on the other hand, converted a penalty just seconds later to complete his hat trick and put the match, which ended 3-3, into a penalty shootout. Both Messi and Mbappe scored their penalties and in the end, it was Argentina who prevailed 4-2 in the shootout.
Messi led Argentina to their first World Cup victory since 1986 in 2022 with seven goals and several assists. Famously, Diego Maradona served as the team’s captain during their championship run, and the late, great football star once identified Messi as his “heir”
While many believed that Messi’s participation in the 2022 World Cup would be his final, that may not be the case. The Argentina captain initially denied retiring from international competition just hours after winning the prestigious trophy in Qatar, but dropped a hint that participating in the 2026 tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States of America (USA), Mexico, and Canada, is not in doubt.
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