A GOAT Final for the GOAT Himself: Messi Gets His Iconic World Cup Ending

After an epic title match, Lionel Messi was carried around on shoulders, hoisting the World Cup trophy in the air as players and fans sang together in a storybook closing to a month in Qatar.

LUSAIL, Qatar — Leo Messi, Hugo Lloris and referee Szymon Marciniak gathered during a brief, welcome pause on an epic evening to conduct their third coin toss. This one would determine the particulars of the penalty shootout that was going to decide the 2022 World Cup final. 

Marciniak let the coin drop and pointed to the north end of Lusail Iconic Stadium, where thousands of Argentina fans in light blue and white were clustered on the steep seats behind the net. They let out a roar. They knew.

Muchachos! Argentina has won the third. Argentina is world champion. And Diego in heaven [and so many millions around the world] are cheering on Lionel.

It's the song, or hymn, that’s been the soundtrack of this World Cup. And for as long the sport is played, “Muchachos” will be the theme music that accompanies the montage of Messi brilliance that delivered a shootout triumph on Sunday (following a wild 3–3 draw) and an elusive third title to a yearning nation. 

Messi is hoisted in the air with the World Cup trophy to celebrate Argentina’s triumph in Qatar :: Martin Meissner/AP

Belted out constantly over the past month on the streets of Qatar and inside stadiums crammed with Argentina supporters, “Muchachos” initially took off after they celebrated their Copa América crown last year. It signaled the change in aura surrounding the Albiceleste and their captain, who would enter the home stretch of his peerless career unburdened by an international trophy drought and the unfair comparisons to the late Diego Maradona, his eternal equal. Messi had proved his excellence and devotion, and he’d be free to enjoy his fifth and likely last World Cup run leading a new generation of Argentine stars.

“En Argentina nací, tierra de Diego y Lionel,” the song begins.

“I was born in Argentina, land of Diego and Lionel.”

“Muchachos, ahora nos volvimos a ilusionar. Quiero ganar la tercera. Quiero ser campeón mundial. Y al Diego en cielo … alentandolo a Lionel.”

“Muchachos, now we got excited again. I want to win the third. I want to be world champion. And we can see Diego in heaven … cheering on Lionel.”

Argentina goalkeeper Emi Martínez said Saturday that he and his teammates felt like they had been playing at home over the past month. And so when times became desperate for them against France, when they had blown a late two-goal advantage for the second time in three games and then another lead in extra time, “Muchachos” was the beacon lighting the way, almost beckoning them to the trophy.

Messi thought he’d scored the title-winning goal, his second of the match, a few feet from those fans in the 108th minute. This final would’ve been remembered forever if he had, and it’ll be remembered forever because he didn’t.

Messi kisses the World Cup trophy :: Bagu Blanco/Pressinphoto/Imago Images

“The match was completely insane,” Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni said afterwards, while proudly wearing a jersey adorned with three stars above the crest.

France’s Kylian Mbappé, who won the World Cup at 19 and was aiming for a second straight in Lusail, wasn’t so much waiting for Messi to pass the torch as he was eager to chase him down and rip it from his hands. Mbappé scored 97 seconds apart to pull Les Bleus level late in the second half, then did it again with a 118th-minute penalty kick he’d earned himself.

With that, Mbappé clinched the tournament’s Golden Boot (eight goals), became just the second man to notch a hat trick in a World Cup final and put the match on the verge of penalties. Martínez then ensured it got there with a jaw-dropping save on a wide-open Randal Kolo Muani. That was France’s chance. Once Marciniak gestured toward the north goal, the matter seemed settled. Bathed in the hope and adoration of those fans, Messi and Argentina couldn’t falter.

“I told them we had to be optimistic. … the team was playing well,” Scaloni said of the moments following France’s two comebacks. “During the penalty shootout, same thing. We had to remain calm. … [Martínez] is a very positive guy. He told his teammates that he was going to save some penalties, and then we had so many takers, so many players who were ready and willing to take their penalties, and that shows the confidence they have.”

One by one they slotted their penalties past Lloris, starting with Messi. He’d missed in that gut-wrenching Copa América Centenario final loss six years go and was so bereft moments later he announced his international retirement. But this is a new era, and he was perfect from the spot in the knockout stage in Qatar, going five for five. France’s Kingsley Coman saw his bid saved by Martínez and then Aurélien Tchouaméni missed wide left. The shootout ended, 4–2. Les Bleus were denied their historic repeat—no one’s done it since Brazil in 1962—and Argentina had finally won its third.

Messi is the center of attention after Argentina wins the World Cup :: Natacha Pisarenko/AP

Messi, a World Cup runner-up in 2014 who set the all-time tournament appearance record at Sunday’s opening whistle, remained at the midfield circle for a bit, embraced by teammates. He made his way toward the corner alone to salute a section of supporters. Shortly thereafter, he found a stadium microphone and shouted, “Somos campeónes del mundo!” and the same unprintable expletive he’d attached to his Instagram after winning the Copa América last year. 

Remember when Messi was a shy, reluctant and reticent figure, beleaguered by expectations and comparisons and playing, at least for Argentina, as if he was uncomfortable in both his own skin and that famous striped jersey? This World Cup has been the opposite. Messi the hype man has been expressive and joyful, accessible and more talkative than usual. (Although he still bailed on Sunday’s postgame press conference after picking up his fifth Man of the Match award. There were celebrations to attend to, including an unannounced open-top bus parade along the shopping street adjacent to the stadium.) He’s reveled in his role and this opportunity, and that in turn has inspired his team. At 35, the greatest somehow found another gear.

“Everything that he transmits to his teammates is something unparalleled, something I’ve never seen before. [He’s] a player, a person, who gives so much,” Scaloni said.

Messi’s run in Qatar has been every bit the equal of Maradona’s race to immortality in 1986. The original “D10S” scored five times, including the “Goal of the Century” and “Hand of God” against England in a quarterfinal grudge match that came four years after the Falklands War (which, naturally, is referenced in “Muchachos”). He then tallied both goals in the 2–0 semifinal win over Belgium. In a back-and-forth final against West Germany that resembled Sunday’s—Argentina took and then lost a two-goal lead—Maradona set up the trophy winner.

That magic month cemented Maradona’s preeminent status in the Argentine pantheon. It was the highlight of his soap opera of a career that was limited by drug use, self-sabotage and injuries. Maradona, while supremely gifted, came nowhere close to approaching Messi’s relentless consistency, which is highlighted by seven world player of the year awards, four UEFA Champions League crowns, 11 domestic league titles, the Copa América, an Olympic gold medal and now two World Cup Golden Balls. But what Messi didn’t have was that magic month.

Seven goals, three assists and one trophy lift later, a strong case can be made that Messi has no peers, now or in any era. He was the focus of every defense, and he unlocked all of them. After Argentina fell in its opener to Saudi Arabia, it played what Messi had called “five finals” to reach Sunday’s game. It prevailed each time. He became the first man to score in a World Cup group stage and each of the four knockout rounds. His assists in the quarterfinal (an impossible through ball against the Dutch) and semifinal (a dizzying dribbling run) will be replayed for years. The momentum Argentina generated was palpable, “Muchachos” was everywhere, and Messi's team started the final with such ferocity that France didn’t take a shot until over an hour had gone. Only Mbappé’s brilliance made it a contest. Les Bleus coach Didier Deschamps even acknowledged on Saturday that some of his own countrymen might be sympathetic toward Messi’s World Cup pursuit, such is the gravitational pull he exudes.

This modern Messi even calmed and inspired his coach. Scaloni told a story Sunday night about the aftermath of a 0–0 qualifying draw with Brazil in November 2021. Argentina had scored just twice in three qualifiers, and the manager was worried. 

“I was feeling that we were about to face some challenging times. They were so strong,” he said.

So he called Messi once his captain had returned to Paris Saint-Germain, and he found himself speaking to an evolved player and leader, one who used to be anxious but now was tranquilo.

Argentina displays its winner’s medals as Messi hoists the trophy up high following a shootout win over France :: ANP/Imago Images

“He said, ‘It doesn’t matter. We’ll move on. If things go well, perfect. All we can do is try.’” That gave me so much energy. It was an emotional boost,” Scaloni said. “I felt the expectation that our people have from us, so I wanted to relieve that pressure with him, talk to him and see how he was feeling. And with his answer, I realized that we were doing things right.”

They’ve lost one game since—the stunner against the Saudis. Scaloni built a team peppered with loyal veterans like Ángel Di María—a good friend of Messi’s who was fantastic on the left and scored a goal in his return from injury on Sunday—along with a cohort of talented players totally devoted to their talismanic captain. Scaloni said he was looking for the “players that would help Messi on the pitch and who would feel comfortable with him.” Five of Argentina’s final starters were under 25. These were men who grew up worshiping Messi and were now winning a World Cup alongside him.

“There’s no such thing as coincidence,” Messi shouted in his locker room speech before last year’s Copa América final. The pandemic had prompted a shift in the South American championship tournament from Argentina and Colombia to Brazil, giving the Albiceleste the enticing opportunity to win it at Rio de Janeiro’s Estádio do Maracanã, the sacred home of its eternal rival. When Marciniak pointed north, it felt the same. This was no coincidence. Messi was supposed to have missed his last best chance to win the World Cup. At 35, he was past his prime. The European powers were dominant and that rival, Brazil, looked fearsome coming to Qatar. But the markers were there. The Copa triumph, the unbeaten streak and that phone call after the qualifier were signs. Messi’s general, happy disposition throughout the tournament, where he just couldn’t stop telling everyone how good he was feeling, sent a strong signal as well.

It was all set up for Sunday’s drama and then the coronation. The Emir of Qatar even draped a sheer black robe edged in gold, similar to his own, over Messi as he received the coveted trophy.

“It’s just crazy that it became a reality this way,” Messi told reporters at some point after leading fans in a rendition of “Muchachos” while sitting atop retired striker Sergio Agüero’s shoulders and holding the trophy aloft. “I craved this so much. I knew God would bring this gift to me. I had the feeling that this was the one.”