From Barcelona Legend to the God of World Football

After Five Attempts, a Kiss on the World Cup Trophy
Achieved UEFA Champions League, World Cup, and Olympic Victories
"No Retirement!... I Want to Continue Gaining Match Experience as a Champion"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

European football's UEFA Champions League, FIFA World Cup, Olympic gold, and Ballon d'Or. Lionel Messi (35, Paris Saint-Germain) has achieved every glory a footballer can attain. After five attempts since the 2006 Germany tournament, he finally kissed the World Cup trophy.

On the 19th (Korean time), Argentina won 4-2 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in regular time and 3-3 in extra time against France in the 2022 Qatar World Cup final held at Lusail Stadium in Qatar. This added a trophy for the first time in 36 years since the tournaments held in their home country in 1978 and in Mexico in 1986. For Messi, who has been a leading figure in Argentina and dominated world football for over a decade, this was his first World Cup victory. With a stellar performance including two goals that day, he personally completed the last piece of the 'Greatest Of All Time (GOAT)' puzzle.

Messi was in a position where he could not hold his head high whenever the national team was mentioned. Although he had been active in the national team since 2005, he repeatedly faced bitter defeats in major tournaments. He somewhat quenched his thirst by winning the Copa America, the South American continental championship, last year, but the 'World Cup victory' remained an unresolved challenge. Messi was blocked by Germany in both the 2006 Germany tournament and the 2010 South Africa tournament, failing to reach the semifinals. As captain in the 2014 Brazil tournament, he won the Golden Ball as the best player but could not hold the trophy. He was once again stopped by Germany in the final. In the 2018 Russia tournament, he was eliminated in the round of 16 after losing to France.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Messi shone brightly in the rematch held in the final after four years. At the 21st minute of the first half, ?ngel Di Mar?a earned a penalty kick, and Messi opened the goal with a sharp left-footed shot. In the 3rd minute of the second half of extra time, he scored an additional goal to break Argentina's stagnant atmosphere. Taking advantage of the opposing goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who dived to block Lautaro Mart?nez's powerful shot and had not yet regained his stance, Messi struck a right-footed shot. Although a French defender chased him until the end, the ball crossed the goal line. Messi also took the first penalty kick and confidently shook the net. Grabbing the World Cup trophy and his second Golden Ball (7 goals, 3 assists) at once, he splendidly decorated his 'last dance.' Entering his mid-30s, this tournament was considered his last real chance to lead his homeland to World Cup victory and settle the GOAT debate.

Messi led Argentina's attack with outstanding performances in every match. He also left numerous achievements that will remain in World Cup history. That day, he surpassed Lothar Matth?us (Germany) to set a new record for most World Cup appearances (26 matches). He also became the first player to score in the group stage, round of 16, quarterfinal, semifinal, and final of a single World Cup. His personal stats for this tournament were 7 goals and 3 assists. In total World Cup history, he has 13 goals and 8 assists. Since statistics began being recorded in 1966, he is the player who has been involved in the most goals in World Cup history.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

With this victory, Messi became the ninth player in history to have won the Ballon d'Or, UEFA Champions League, and World Cup. He won the UCL titles in 2006, 2009, 2011, and 2015 while playing for Spanish professional football club FC Barcelona. The Ballon d'Or, the most prestigious football award in the world, was awarded to him seven times: from 2009 to 2012, in 2015, 2019, and 2021. Before Messi, players who swept the World Cup, Ballon d'Or, and UCL included Bobby Charlton (England) in 1968, Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd M?ller (both Germany) in 1974, Paolo Rossi (Italy) in 1985, Zinedine Zidane (France) in 2002, and Brazilian players Rivaldo in 2003, Ronaldinho in 2006, and Kak? in 2007. Messi is the only player to have also won an Olympic gold medal. He defied FC Barcelona's opposition to his participation and led Argentina to the top at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

After the best ending, Messi said in an interview with his home country's broadcaster, "It's crazy that this victory has come. I knew God would give it to me. I had a feeling it would happen. Now it's time to enjoy. Look at this cup, it's beautiful," savoring his joy. He added, "This is the trophy I wanted all my life. It was my dream since I was young," emphasizing, "I went through a lot of pain, but I finally did it." This victory does not mark the end of his time with the Argentina national team. He said, "I will not retire yet," and "I want to continue experiencing playing as a world champion."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.