Lionel Messi is not ready to walk away from Argentina yet, despite ending his pursuit of a World Cup winner’s medal. (More Football News)
The football great secured the one majo🦩r trophy that has eluded him in his storied career as Argentina beat France 4-2 on penalties in the final at Lusail Stadium on Sunday.
The match finished 3-🌺3 through extra time with🌳 Messi scoring twice and converting his penalty in the shootout.
At 35, this is likely his last appearance in soccer’s biggest tournam🥃ent, but he confir🍸med after the match that he intends to play on.
“Obviously, I wanted to complete my career with this, (I) can’t ask for more,” Messi said. “Finishing my career this way is im༺pressive. After this, what else? I have a Copa América, a World Cup. Almost at the very end.
“I love soccer, what I do. I enjoy being part ofಞ the national team, the group. I want to e♔njoy a couple of more matches being a world champion.”
Messi has won the Ballon d’Or award for the best player in the worl🍬d on seve൩n occasions.
He has also won the Champions League 🧸four times with former club Barcelona, but the World Cup is the biggest prize in the spo൲rt.
“If he wants to keep playing, he can be with us, he is more than entitled to deci💙de if he wants to stay with us,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. “It’s a huge pleasure to coach him, everything that he tr🦩ansmits to his team is unparalleled. It’s something I’ve never seen before.”
Messi put Argentina ahead from the penalty spot and played a part in Angel Di Maria’s goal🐲 that made it 2-0 after 36 minutes.
Mbappé scored 🍸two goa✃ls in a 97-second span to take the game to extra time,
Messi put Argentina back in front 📖in the 108th minute, but Mbappe’s penalty in the 118th saw the Paris Saint-Germain star complete the first hat trick in a World Cup final in 56 years.
“It’s just crazy that it became a reality this way. I craved for this so much. I knew God would bring this gift to me, I had ꧒the feeling that this (World Cup) was the one,” Messi said. “It took so long, but here it is. We suffered a lot, but we managed to do it.”
