Lionel Messi kept his initial reaction to Argentina 's "crazy" World Cup win short but sweet.
The 35-year-old icon led his country to a long-awaited triumph in Qatar on Sunday, as the Albiceleste edged France on penalties after a thrilling 3-3 draw after extra-time. Messi was at the heart of Argentina's success once again, scoring two goals over 120 chaotic minutes of football which will surely go down as the greatest World Cup final in modern history.
And although it was goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez 's heroics in the penalty shootout which eventually made the difference, his legendary teammate will take the most of plaudits. But Messi, understandably, wasn't keen to waste much time speaking to the media after the match, as he kept it brief before continuing his celebrations.
"Let's go! We are world champions," the Paris Saint-Germain superstar beamed, as reported by Spanish outlet Sport. Messi then added, as well as confirming that he wouldn't be retiring from international football: "It's crazy that it has happened this way. I wanted it very much. I knew God was going to give it to me, I sensed it was going to be this. Now to enjoy."
He and Argentina certainly will enjoy basking in their glory long into the night. From the off it looked set to be Messi and co's day to conquer the world, with the magical No.10 being the man to put his side ahead after 23 minutes of Argentine domination. The ex- Barcelona forward cooly dispatched a penalty past Hugo Lloris after Angel Di Maria had been tripped by Ousmane Dembele inside the French penalty area.
Then Di Maria got a goal of his own, finishing off a slick counter attack which Messi was central to. Leading 2-0 at half-time, France had a mountain to climb and it took Les Blues until the 80th minute to find inspiration.
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Coincidentally, it was Messi's PSG teammate, Kylian Mbappe, who led the French comeback. The 23-year-old marvel scored a penalty of his own to punish Nicolas Otamendi for taking down Randal Kolo Muani as the closing stages dawned. Mbappe was at it again 90 seconds later, emphatically equalising with a rip-roaring strike past Martinez. His sublime goal made it 2-2 and stunned the world watching on.
Messi then scrambled in a third for Argentina in the second half of extra-time, only for Mbappe to again peg Argentina back and complete his superb hat-trick. Both heroes scored in the shootout, unlike France duo Kingsley Coman and Aurelien Tchouameni, who couldn't find a way past the defiant Martinez.
Cue to the scenes of elation inside the Lusail Stadium, contrasted by Les Blues' bitter disappointment. While France will mourn a missed opportunity, it's now time to party from Buenos Aires to Rosario and beyond, as Argentina triumphed for the first time since 1986.
