Messi can claim to be the best male player of all time after breaking a record in the 2022 World Cup final.

“Winning the World Cup is the dream of every player,” Messi said after winning the gold cup with Argentina on the evening of December 18. “I’m lucky to have won everything because the World Cup is here.”

Messi has won 39 trophies in his career in every tournament he has participated in, notably La Liga, Ligue 1, Champions League, Copa America, and now the World Cup. That is not to mention the U20 World Championship in 2005 and the Olympic gold medal in men’s football in 2008.

The Argentine captain also said that he knew in advance that God would give him this championship. “I knew Argentina would win this way,” he added. “The match was crazy, but it was even better for Argentina. What else is there to say about this game? Football is really crazy. I want to dedicate this championship to the Argentinians.”

Highlight: Argentina- France in the final of the World Cup 2022

With an 11m kick in the 23rd minute, Messi is also the first player in history to score in the group stage and every knockout match in a World Cup.

Before that, he regularly scored one goal per game against Australia in the round of 16, the Netherlands in the quarter-finals, and Croatia in the semi-finals. In the group stage, Messi “released bullets” into the net of Saudi Arabia and Mexico in the first two rounds. The only match he did not score in this tournament was the last round of the group stage to beat Poland 2-0.

Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot and ignited Angel di Maria’s 2-0 goal in the 2022 World Cup final. France didn’t finish a single shot in the first 60 minutes, but Kylian Mbappe shone with a strike. double to equalize 2-2 and send the game into extra time. Messi once again put Argentina ahead, but Mbappe equalized 3-3 in extra time. In the end, Argentina won 4-2 on penalties, to dethrone France. FIFA’s Twitter account commented it was “the best final in history”.

Messi also ruled out the possibility that he would retire from international football after this tournament. “Of course, I want to end my career this way because there’s nothing better than winning the World Cup,” he said. “But I still want to play more games as world champion.”

Argentina’s next major tournament is the 2024 Summer Copa America, but they could be invited to the 2023 Summer Gold Cup. Lionel Scaloni’s men are expected to play their next match in March 2022, a friendly against an unknown opponent.

Messi finished five World Cups with 25 games, 13 goals, and eight assists. He is the only person to receive the World Cup Golden Ball award for the best male player twice, in 2014 and 2022.

The last sublimation World Cup

There’s a strong case that he doesn’t have to win the World Cup to be considered the greatest. International football is incredibly fickle.

What if France wins the penalty shootout?

What if Pelé was born in Estonia and never won a title with his national team? Would that make him less than a player?

Some of football’s most legendary names have never achieved success with their national teams; Alfredo Di Stéfano, Johan Cruyff, and George Best to name three.

Messi has maintained a consistent brilliance that, year after year, outstrips all of them.

Respected Argentine sports journalist Juan Pablo Varsky once said: “Messi is like Maradona, every day.”

But there will always be some who, when discussing the best ever, will point to the gap in Messi’s trophy cabinet as a reason he cannot be ranked as the top best.

As the “white knight,” Messi

Argentinians no longer questioned his dedication to the cause; instead, they rallied behind him in his effort to bring home the nation’s first international trophy in decades.

The Copa America final of 2021 saw Argentina defeat Brazil in Brazil under the most trying of circumstances.

The club had finally figured out how to support Messi rather than counting on him to shoulder the load for the rest of the team with Lionel Scaloni as a coach.

Messi finally appeared content while representing Argentina, and he also appeared to be the inspirational figure the country had been expecting.

He had become at ease serving as the team’s talisman as the group had expanded around him. And a talisman or messiah is beloved by Argentinians.

The allure of the “white knight” who will bring people to greatness has always been compelling in Argentina, dating back to the days of the caudillos, the feudal strongmen who reigned over provinces, as well as charismatic cult figures like Juan Perón and even Maradona.

And right now, Messi has fully embraced the position after developing into it throughout this World Cup.