Argentina national team fans celebrate the victory in Buenos Aires (from YouTube)
What was going through Leo Messi's mind when he stepped up to take Argentina's first penalty in a duel?
Kylian Mbappe had just brought down Emiliano Martinez who was very close to stopping the ball, and that was the moment when the Argentine superstar could have lost everything.
He had been waiting for this final for so long, the nightmares of the Marcana fiasco in 2014 had haunted him, and here - after the final whistle for his last World Cup game - he was in danger of throwing it all away.
And it is well known that the greatest have the right to miss fatal penalties.
Zico, Michel Platini, Roberto Baggio, Franco Barzi, John Terry... No, sorry - maybe this is not the right time to make fun of Terry.
Either way, it was a real kick for the Flea.
Argentina have already beaten France once in this final, then let them equalize out of nowhere.
She beat her again in overtime, and again gave her a penalty as a gift.
It seemed that fate simply would not let him lift the coveted trophy, even when it was deserved beyond any reasonable doubt.
Messi could have become the most tragic hero in the history of the World Cup - no less.
And it didn't happen.
He sent his ball in with exemplary composure.
Watch the summary: Argentina won the World Cup with a dramatic 3:3 and 2:4 on penalties
Messi was moved: "I knew God would give me the trophy, I'm not retiring from the team"
Pella HaBria: Messi's numbers after winning his first World Cup
Summary of Argentina's 2:4 victory over France in penalties courtesy of Kaan 11 - the official broadcaster of the 2022 World Cup. Live broadcasts, recaps, statistics and more await you on the Kaan World Cup page
Then, when the ball hit the net, the rest of Argentina's players also realized that fate was not so cruel after all.
They beat France twice, and they can beat them in the penalty shootout as well, even if it's some kind of draw.
After Messi, everyone was accurate without difficulty, while the players of the outgoing world champion failed.
And it was a fitting final chord to a final that was extremely one-sided until the 80th minute.
A team that doesn't threaten the goal even once for so long, even from outside the box, doesn't deserve to win the World Cup, even if they somehow manage to get two penalties.
Argentina got the crown by right, France lost it by right.
Would Messi's status as the greatest player of all time have been undermined if Argentina had lost this duel?
The answer is in the body of the question - yes, simply because it is a legitimate issue for discussion.
Until yesterday, there was a sharp debate in the world.
Some have argued that the Argentine deserves to be called the best ever regardless of his achievements in the World Cup, especially since this enterprise is much less prestigious these days compared to the past.
On the other hand, some stated that this is the index.
Without him, it is seemingly impossible to compare him to Diego Maradona, not to mention Pele.
And before he lifted the Copa America last summer, some argued that Cristiano Ronaldo winning Euro 2016 made him a historically greater player.
Well, that debate is over.
He no longer exists.
At the age of 35, Messi is a world champion and a European champion, in addition to 10 championship titles in Spain and 3 wins in the Champions League, and also 672 goals in the Barcelona uniform in all formats - the conquests and titles in the Qatar Saint-Germain uniform can be left aside, because they are less relevant to the discussion .
He is not only the most talented of them all.
From now on he is also the most successful of all.
The giant monkey that he had on his back for many years was finally and completely removed.
All the claims Argentina fans had against him are gone forever.
There are no more obstacles.
He is at the top of the world, high above everyone else, and his smile when he received the trophy will never be erased.
"FIFA dressed Messi like Aladdin in the biggest moment of his career.
Shame"
on the net still can't relax: "The greatest football game of all time"
thanks to the final and with a difference of a single goal: World Cup 2022 is the most fruitful ever
That smile will never be erased.
Lionel Messi (Photo: Reuters)
It is also intriguing to wonder, hypothetically, whether this monkey would have been removed back in 2014, had Angel Di Maria been fit to play in the final.
Yesterday, the Italian was the best player on the field by a considerable margin, and the Argentine victory, which should have been achieved in 90 minutes but for the strange turn, was written in his name.
It was Di Maria who squeezed out a penalty for Ousmane Dembele in a particularly smart move.
He was the one who coolly finished a stylish and wonderful attack to make it 0:2.
He was also the lifeblood behind most of Albiceleste's attacking moves, as well as participating in endless passes under pressure on opposition players when the ball was not at his feet.
Lionel Scaloni's decision to bet on him in the lineup, so that he was not fully fit, turned out to be correct, while placing him on the left wing - as opposed to the right wing where he played in the group stage games - was a tremendous brilliance.
There is a reasonable basis to assume that Argentina would not have gotten into trouble and increased the advantage, if Italy had the strength to complete 90 minutes.
Unfortunately for the team, this was not the case, and after he was replaced, the South Americans gradually began to lose absolute control of the field.
At the age of almost 35, after already announcing his retirement from the national team at the end of the tournament long in advance, he got the last chance to shine on the main stage, and took it with both hands.
It could have been a personal sporting tragedy if he had been prevented from taking part in this final, because Di Maria was destined to star in the big games.
In fact, his goals earned Messi all his titles with the Albiceleste.
It started with a 0:1 over Nigeria in the final of the 2008 Olympics.
Messi, Con Aguero and Juan Roman Riquelme were on the pitch, but it was the Italian who found the back of the net.
And he also scored 0:1 against Brazil in the Copa America final, because that's his role in these types of games.
Ronaldo's sister stung: "The worst World Cup ever, Mbappe is amazing"
Macron comforted Mbappe at the end, Deschamps: "It will take time to digest what happened"
"Where is Messi? He is with the cup!": the prayers, tears and joy in Argentina
deserves to be considered one of the greatest.
Di Maria (Photo: GettyImages)
He regularly excels in the most important games, and so it was in the Champions League final in 2014.
Real Madrid came to him to break a 12-year drought, finally lift the trophy and celebrate Decima - the long-awaited and elusive tenth victory.
Cristiano Ronaldo grabbed the headlines, Sergio Ramos got the plaudits for his dramatic equaliser, Gareth Bale stole the show, but the key man in that battle against Atletico Madrid was Di Maria.
He was also chosen as the outstanding player, and many Real fans are very sorry to this day for the way he left that summer for Manchester United.
And after the failure at Old Trafford, he wasted long and precious years at Saint Germain - the loss here is not only his, but mostly ours, because we could have enjoyed him in real teams.
Had he stayed at the Santiago Bernabeu, Di Maria would have been defined as one of the best players of his generation, but he remained underrated, and was also always egoless.
This was also reflected yesterday - he did his best,
So what would have happened if he hadn't been injured in that dismal match against Belgium in the quarter-finals of the 2014 World Cup?
Was the result in the final against Germany different?
Would he have subjugated Manuel Neuer to give Albalisalesta a characteristic 0:1 even before extra time?
You never know, of course.
We do know his contribution to his last final, and among us - he deserved the title of man of the match, even though he was replaced in the 64th minute.
Hollywood film: Uri Levy reports from Qatar on the greatest final in history
Revelation: Assaf Cohen reports from Qatar on the God who will be revealed to the fans who suit
the traditional clothing storm: "Qatar enthroned Messi as if he belonged to her"
A save worth a trophy.
Martins in front of Kolo Moani (Photo: Reuters)
And there was another very worthy candidate for this title.
The success of Emilino Martins against Randall Kolo Moani in the last seconds of overtime was at the highest world level, at the exact moment when almost everything collapsed.
This is not just a case of a goalkeeper who closes the angle well, and the ball hits him.
It was a combination of a timed exit with a perfect instinctive reaction to a kick that was actually good and went into the corner.
Not all fans outside of France and Germany knew the Frankfurt striker, who caused Nicolas Otamendi to trip him in the box in a move that resulted in a turning point in the match and then came inches from becoming the most unexpected backup in the World Cup final.
However, until two years ago few even in Argentina knew Divo Martinez.
A junior goalkeeper in the Arsenal squad who traveled on loan and arrived at the 2018 World Cup in Russia on a fan standard?
He was not supposed to become one of the most important stars in winning the World Cup at the age of 30, but his belief kept Argentina alive even in the most difficult moments.
He is the one who prevented Australia from scoring a very dramatic equalizer in injury time in the round of 16.
It was he who saved the Albiceleste from disaster on penalties in the quarter-finals, after the Dutch comeback threatened to wipe out the remaining self-confidence of most of the players.
And after yesterday, he is already a real walking legend.
Sergio Goicochea in the square.
Bigger than Henry Pompidou and Ubaldo Filliol combined.
The outstanding goalkeeper in the tournament with many excellent goalkeepers.
"A minute of silence for the dead Mbappe": the infuriating record of Emiliano Martins
not only in football: has Messi officially become the greatest athlete of all time?
The Jewish broadcaster cried and moved millions: "How long have we waited, Argentina is the world champion"
There was no squad with such a fighting spirit.
Argentina in the clouds (Photo: GettyImages, Dan Mullan)
Emiliano Martínez was also huge in winning the Copa America, and declared then that he was happy mainly for Leo Messi.
And that was the motto.
This squad was consciously built to suit and serve its captain - and all players, without exception, rallied to the task.
Scaloni's goal was to give Messi the most optimal conditions in order to fulfill his dream and that of the entire country.
It didn't go easy, and the Albiceleste had a hard time keeping the lead in many games.
They came close to kicking the bucket time and time again, but the bottom line was that this World Cup did not have a squad with such fighting spirit.
Therefore, in a tournament that is not promising to say the least in terms of football, Argentina was the worthy champion, and Messi is the worthy champion.
And he knew it deep down when he approached the fateful penalty, from which he had no way back.
FIFA World Cup
the magazine
Tags
Argentina national team
Lionel Messi