Messi's 2022 World Cup: The Last Piece of the Puzzle

Thirty-Five Years Old, One Trophy Missing

Imagine a footballer who has won 8 Ballon d'Or awards, lifted four Champions League titles, and claimed 10 La Liga championships, but has never won a World Cup. Is that career complete?

Until November 2022, for Lionel Messi, the answer was no. Critics repeated it endlessly: Maradona won a World Cup. Pelé won three. Messi has zero. He was 35 years old. This was the last chance.

The Weight of the Dream: 2010-2018

2010 South Africa. 2014 Brazil. 2018 Russia. Three World Cups, three tournaments, zero trophies. In 2014 he reached the final, Argentina lost to Germany 1-0 in extra time. Messi won the Golden Ball but in his own words described it as "a golden nothing."

His first season at PSG (2021-22) was difficult. When he arrived in Qatar at 35, Argentine supporters were cautious. A generation had grown up with Maradona, then grown up again with Messi, but Messi had not yet reached Maradona's level, in that one specific measure.

22 November: Opening Shock

First match: Saudi Arabia. Many in Argentina's squad treated it as a formality. The result: 1-2 defeat.

One of the biggest upsets in World Cup history. Messi scored but Saudi Arabia found two goals in the second half. For a moment, it looked as though Messi's last World Cup dream might end before it had truly begun.

Lionel Scaloni gathered his fractured squad. One match later, the balance was restored.

Recovery: Mexico, Poland, Australia

26 November: Mexico 2-0. Messi goal and assist. Normal service resumed.

30 November: Poland 2-0. Argentina topped the group. Messi missed a penalty but the match was won.

Round of 16: Australia 2-1. Messi goal. The path to the semi-final opened.

13 December: Semi-Final, Netherlands

Lusail Stadium. A dramatic 90 minutes. Argentina led 2-0, Messi's penalty for the first goal, an assist for the second.

The Netherlands pulled it back to 2-2 through Wout Weghorst late on. Penalty shoot-out. Argentina won 4-3.

At full time Messi screamed towards the Netherlands bench, pure Maradona energy. It was exactly what the crowd had been waiting for: a 35-year-old Messi fighting as if his life depended on it.

18 December: The Final

Lusail Stadium. 90,000 people. The entire world watching. Opponents: France, Mbappé, Griezmann, Dembélé, Giroud. Defending champions.

The first half belonged to Argentina. 23rd minute: Messi's penalty, 1-0. 36th minute: Ángel Di María on the counter, 2-0. The match looked decided.

Then Mbappé arrived in the second half. 80th minute: penalty, goal. 81st minute: a second. Two goals in two minutes, 2-2.

Extra time. 108th minute: Messi scored Argentina's third. 3-2. 118th minute: Mbappé again, a header after a Lloris error, 3-3. Mbappé had a hat-trick. The second player after Geoff Hurst (1966) to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final.

Penalties. Argentina won 4-2. When Gonzalo Montiel's final kick hit the net, Messi dropped to the ground, the crowd wept, and 36 years of waiting ended.

After the Final Whistle

Messi finished the tournament with 7 goals and 3 assists. He was named best player of the tournament. The 2023 Ballon d'Or was his.

On the surface: a player won a cup. In meaning: the era that Maradona had begun in 1986 was finally completed, one generation later. Argentina, champions for the first time in 36 years.

Can a single trophy be the decisive verdict on a career? Yes. Because without it, the debate about "greatest" stays open. With it, the debate closes.

What Came Next

After the final, Messi transferred to Inter Miami. He moved to MLS. His European career was over.

The rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo? Settled, in most people's minds. Ronaldo never won a World Cup; Messi has. Ballon d'Or count: Messi 8, Ronaldo 5.

Argentina's president Alberto Fernández granted him national hero status. Millions celebrated in the streets of Buenos Aires. A player had written the final sentence of his career, and it was the most important sentence of all.

Because some questions can only be answered by one particular trophy. Messi's question was answered that night in Lusail.