Opinion There is no director who could write such a drama: it was the greatest game in history Israel today

Wow, wow and a thousand more times wow.

The heart beats 180, the brain has trouble digesting what the eyes have seen.

There is no director who could have written this drama, stretched it to the limit, and at the end put the stamp on it that the whole world wanted: Argentina the world champion, Messi the greatest of all.

It was arguably the greatest game in history.

The grand finale of all.

The two biggest stars in the world, Messi and Kylian Mbappe, in a record game that will be talked about for years to come.

Endless upheavals, contrary to all logic, and in the background crazy cheering on the field, and billions watching at home - and not believing what they see.

The tension, the ups and downs, the transitions from joy to depression and vice versa, and the prayers - oh, how many prayers were heard yesterday in every corner of the globe, and they were directed mainly to one, 170 centimeter, but one-time magician who yesterday put his stamp on being the greatest player in history.

Nothing in the game itself prepared us for the drama we got.

Until the 80th minute it was one-sided, almost boring, all Argentina led by goals from Messi and Angel Di Maria.

The audience in the stands continued the singing performances seen in the last month around the city, and in every game of Argentina in the tournament - in the streets of Doha, in the subway, on the way to the stadium, and on the field itself, which was painted entirely in blue and white, with small islands of the tricolor.

Messi and Mbappe.

Canal in Qatar, photo: AFP

But then came the heir, Mbappe, and in a personal show equalized within a minute.

The Argentinian crowd thought he was passing out, the French were in a frenzy.

Extra time also failed to separate the teams - with another Argentinian advantage by Messi (7 goals in the tournament), and another equalizer by Mbappe (8 goals) who performed a final miracle for the French at the first candle of Hanukkah - and this crazy final went to the most unfair place, to penalties, in an attempt to separate between the two biggest teams in the world.

And there, in penalties, it was just Argentina, with another great goalkeeping display by Emiliano Martinez.

The man who helped them pass the Netherlands in penalties did it again - and burst into tears.

All the Argentina players cried with him, and with them the crowd in the stands who had been waiting for this cup for 36 years, since Mexico 1986. The only one who didn't cry was Messi, who in this tournament showed a different side of himself: a leader, mature, and the one who finally managed to get the monkey off his back yesterday, to step into his shoes of Diego Maradona, and take 40 million Argentines on his back to the Holy Cup.

France fans, photo: Getty

The French, who came out of the grave in this game, looked lost at the end.

They were a millimeter away from winning the trophy for the second time in a row, but in the end - and despite the rare performance of Mbappe, who so badly wanted the trophy as a present for his birthday tomorrow - no one will remember their excellent tournament.

What will remain of this final is Argentina's third cup in history, and endless joy for this soccer-sick nation, which will surely last for quite a few days in an attempt to forget the enormous pile of troubles in the country.

The celebration on the field continued for another long hour.

Messi hoisted the trophy while wearing a golden robe he received from the Emir of Qatar, and ran to hug his wife and children.

One picture of them, sitting together, talking and smiling, caught my eye.

Every other player must have been in a storm of emotions, but Messi - who lives in his own universe - looked as if he had gone on a family picnic, with the golden trophy by his side.

Messi.

took the trophy, photo: AFP

The fans, who refused to leave the field after the final they received, continued to celebrate throughout Doha.

Several stages with live performances were set up in the city, but the best performance was provided by the Argentinian crowd.

The cheering display that started hours before the opening whistle did not end even hours after the final whistle, and will now accompany the team all the way back home to Buenos Aires.

The super display we got yesterday was a fitting ending chord to a World Cup of excellent quality.

It is true that the road to it was lined with asterisks and spots: moving the games to winter, the thousands of workers who were killed during the construction of the stadiums, the ban on drinking alcohol and the prevention of protests in the case of the gay community.

But in terms of soccer, the past month has brought the world's most popular game to a peak of excitement that is unlikely to be broken anytime soon.

Messi and Mbappe, photo: AP

For Qatar, this is what matters.

It raised a very impressive World Cup, organized in an exemplary manner - a matter not taken for granted for such a small country with no experience in events of this magnitude.

This is evident in every corner, every day of the games and also just in the streets of Doha, which for one month became the center of the world.

It was exactly this friendly face that Qatar wanted to market, and most of the time it succeeded (with the exception of some political protests, mainly on the part of the Moroccan team).

To top it off, she also brought her two brightest diamonds to the final - Messi and Mbappe, who play for Paris Saint-Germain, which belongs to Qatar - and proved that there is no limit to what money can achieve.

From today, Qatar will return to what it was: a rich, religious and conservative principality.

But everyone who was there in the last few weeks will not forget the magic moments that were part of this World Cup, and especially the final - a one-time, super-sensory experience, the most suitable word to sum it up is "thank you".

Thank you for having the privilege of seeing this game, these players, and being part of an event that is unlikely to be repeated in such intensity in the future.

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