Lionel Messi: “I want to continue playing as a champion”

By
Roy Nemer
-
242

Lionel Messi has spoken about winning the World Cup with Argentina.

Messi is a World Cup winner. Lionel Messi, like Daniel Passarella and Diego Maradona before him, has captained and lifted the World Cup trophy as captain of the Argentina national team. Speaking to the media after winning the World Cup, here is what Messi had to say:

“It’s crazy that it happened this way. I wanted it very much. I knew that God was going to give it to me. Now to enjoy it.

“Look at this cup, it’s beautiful. We suffered a lot but we made it. We can’t wait to be in Argentina and to see how crazy it’s going to be.

“This was the trophy I have wanted all of my life. This was my dream since childhood.”

He also spoke with GastĆ³n Edul of TyC Sports about his future:

“I am not retiring from the Argentina national team. I want to continue playing as a champion.”

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242 Comments

  1. I hope messi will go for the record of Ronaldo’s 118 goals. Now i hope otamendi will retire. He nearly costed us the final. Lisandro is more than ready. Dimaria can stay until 2024 copa he is still in form

    • You are harsh on Otamendi. He was perfect all cup. That was his only real mistake. It was Cuti Romero who was bonkers crazy all final risking fouls and dangerous passes to the middle. Otamendi behind Messi and Emi was one of our MVPs. But yes, he should not start anymore. If he is willing to bench, he is still useful for Copa.

  2. It feels so surreal to wake up knowing that we are the world champions. Man, what an emotional rollercoaster it was yesterday. Smiled for 70 minutes when Argentina played like a dream, they were at their peak yesterday. What beautiful orchestration in the midfield, the defense was rock solid and the attack? My god, someone wrote in this forum that France wouldn’t even know what hit them, that’s exactly what happened in the 1st half. I couldn’t imagine in my wildest dreams that their best creative player Griezmann would be taken off that early, as was Dembele, and as was Giroud. France was nowhere, they looked like a nobody on the pitch, let alone world champions initially. The second goal was like a dream, the most beautiful team goal you would wish for.
    And just when you thought we were running all over them with a 3-0 or 4-0, our big match “Angel” was subbed. I mean this was his last match, he left everything on the pitch and I am pretty sure if he was around till the 80th or 85th minute, a 3-1 or 4-0 was definitely on the cards. But the script was already written from above, there was nothing you could do except for just gaze at the screen and wonder what the hell was happening. An unnecessary clumsy tackle, a penalty, a ball lost by Leo and then a repeated trend. PANIC…What an anxious 15 odd minutes it was to just look at the television screen in horror and think, what did we do to deserve this? 2-2?? Seriously? I honestly could not watch the match for 5-7 minutes, thinking the end was near.
    Then started half time – And our team turned it around yet again like the match against Dutch. When Licha didn’t come on and Pezella did, I was just fuming. Meanwhile, Argentina pressed like the 1st half yet again, and when the ball was netted inside from Leo’s thigh, I just hoped that the team didn’t panic again. It was evident that France would press harder in those last 4 minutes, but a penalty again? And somehow I thought maybe another heartbreak was very near. Then there was that save from Loris, which denied Leo from that thumping shot, it was impossible to maintain the posture emotionally. But something that I couldn’t accept from inside was, why would a team which played so well for almost the entirety of the match be denied from a win because of one small passage of bad play/bizarre substitutions/switch off/panic. God couldn’t be that cruel. We played like true warriors, couldn’t we be given one final chance? I think as most of my mundo brothers would agree, our prayers were answered when Emi stopped Kolo Muani one on one with that unbelievable save. I knew there, that that beast was back. Now if this goes to Tiebreaker, he will eat up someone alive for sure. I thought it would be Mbappe who would be stopped, but Dibu got the better of Coman. Man, we were impeccable in our tiebreakers this world cup. When Dybala successfully took the penalty, I was just thinking about the poem penned by one of our brothers here, I thought now we could tick off Dybala’s accomplishment as one of the missions. (I would never forget how Dybala and Enzo cleared the ball from the D in the last seconds of the extra time, when Mbappe almost looked destined for scoring a late 4th goal). Paredes, as usual clinical in penalty, and finally…man o man…Gonzalo Montiel who was compromised every time the ball was pressed through the wing, how was he so cool while taking the most important kick of his career? It was the best penalty of the whole lot. I was numb for a few minutes before I realized we won. God answered our prayers, I don’t remember for how long I cried, before my wife and mother came and hugged me. It’s an inexplicable feeling. We are champions.

    Our team did it, La Scaloneta did it, the void is finally filled. The fairy tale came true, the journey that started back in 2019 copa semis(yes, am sure that’s when this band of brothers swore a vow to show the world what La Albiceleste was capable of), all the injustice, all our shattered dreams were made up.

    Vamoossss Argentina!!!! Congratulations to the entire squad, Scaloni and other elders who mentored this squad, to the whole of Argentina to witness history after 36 years of sufferings, to all the fans of Argentina across the globe, and finally to all our mundo brothers. A month of emotional joy ride, sufferings, chalking out our own tactics, lineups, abuses at Scaloni, at some of our players, disgust at some of our members for bringing negative vibes etc.(But that’s all in the past). But we were all in this together, and we witnessed the greatest final possibly in the history of world cup, and we witnessed the best football player in the world getting his hands deservedly on the trophy that we desired since we started understanding the game. A huge shoutout to Roy and Seba for their previews, excellent technical analysis of a game, and most importantly an emotional connect with all the mundo fans across.

    VAMOSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • Just to add on my long and boring post, am not sure if you would agree, I think Alexis was a midfield general on the pitch. Him and Enzo were two people who did not drop their shoulders and did not lose their cool during that nervous passage of play during stoppage time or the whole of extra time. Two legends have been born. I have the highest regard for these young guns for keeping their posture when it looked like the chips were down and giving it their all. God bless these players. God bless the Argentina National Team

  4. It is clearly one of the happiest moments in my life. I have been a die-hard fan of Argentina since 1998. After 6 world cup heartbreaks, I finally get to see my fav team get their hands on the most coveted trophy in the world. Messi of course deserved this WC more than any other football player ever played. I want some players to leave after this world cup. Otamendi, Papu, Armani, Pezella. We need young energizing fullbacks, Garnacho and young players should get call-ups from the next match onward. Our journey for Copa24 has started. Vamos Argentina. Enjoy being the World champion fans for years to come.

  5. We experienced a game that will live on for ages, a victory for eternity. We were close to glory and despair in 90 and 120 minutes. A magical save from Dibu prevented another 4 years of misery. It is wonderful to see all the reactions from the forum members including the ones who have been here for many years like Kidulthood, Chalz, Waveride, Gonzalo, Olive, Jack etc.
    The festivities will continue for quite some time with millions in the streets of Buenos Aires, Rosario, Cordoba, Mendoza and Dhaka!

    In the new year the game will be analysed and decisions will be made. Who will retire? What new talents will join the team? Questions will be answered.

    A few thoughts
    – Lo Celso will find it hard to get his place back. Enzo and Mac Allister were brilliant during the WC. They are now part of the starting line-up.
    – If Di Maria had stayed on the pitch we probably would have won within 90 minutes. He was the best player until his substitution.
    – Fresh legs have to be brought sooner. Quite a few players were tired after 5 quarters.
    – A tribute match in Monumental will be organised for those who retire (Di Maria and others) so we can at least see Di Maria once in a shirt with 3 stars!
    – The victory will have inspired millions of young boys in Argentina.
    – Garnacho would have been way more valuable than Almada
    – The millions of dollars earned by AFA will hopefully be invested in a youth academy like Clairfontaine to bring young talents together and guide them on their path.
    – Messi will sleep like a baby now his dream is fulfilled.

    And finallyā€¦
    It is kind of weird that our next match is a WC qualification match (March 2023)
    Hope everyone sticks around for the next WC cycle.

    • “The millions of dollars earned by AFA will hopefully be invested in a youth academy like Clairefontaine to bring young talents together and guide them on their path.” No offence to the lovely people and football fans of Argentina, but I can only laugh bitterly at that. I hope AFA proves me wrong. Apparently, Tapia is not so bad as his predecessors.

  7. Finally I can post something it is still very surreal for me.. Iā€™m still afraid I could wake up and everything was just a dreamā€¦
    It felt so good seeing the injured players and Kun lift the trophy tooā€¦
    Iā€™m very happy right now I have no words šŸ˜¶

    Truly one of the best games a WC has seen.. What a save be Dibu at the endā€¦ We should have won the game in regular Playtimeā€¦
    But f..k it we won I donā€™t care actually
    šŸ†šŸ‡¦šŸ‡·šŸ†šŸ‡¦šŸ‡·šŸ†šŸ‡¦šŸ‡·šŸ†šŸ‡¦šŸ‡·šŸ†šŸ‡¦šŸ‡·šŸ†šŸ‡¦šŸ‡·
    unforgettable

  8. Relief. Now I can enjoy football again.
    Traumaticing experience for us fans, imagine what it must have been for the players. I always tell we never lost in the past because of our players but due to our managers. And once again they rose to the occassion. Thankfully our players held their nerves and showed true grit. Going 2-0 for the sixth straight game. completely outplaying our opponents in the first hour then why this happens again and again. Poor substions again. Pazella can u believe ahead of Licha.
    Not a time to criticize. Let’s enjoy this and hoping and wishing we only get better and we will get better.

    Should the last penalty have stood for France? wasn’t there a handball by a French player?
    Only thing that ruined the occassion is a hat trick by Mbabbe. I cannot digest that.

  9. Argentina team left Qatar. Big thanks..they gave me so much pleasure..I saw them all…and I am lucky that WC happened here in Qatar..ā¤ļø

  11. We never credits one Man, TAPIA he should be credited for clearing up the Mess which we was since the Sabella era. He stabilized us, and he has backed Scaloni for 4 years and the result is showing, Whenever a Coach is given ample time like years the results shows, We had never done this basic thing, Anyway Kudos to TAPIA.

    There is one video of Scaloni its heartbreaking. He like me and all wall not able to express his emotion after Montiels penalty, But once Paredes came and hugged him he started crying like anything. Sports is Magic. It brings the Child inside us out.

  12. Thereā€™s a joke in my country. They said the game was so one-sided and easy so the coach needed to sub Di Maria to make it one of the best game of all time!

    • That is indeed funny. But really, Argentine management really needs to stop making mistakes like that with subs. A proper midfielder or switch to 5-3-2 would have made Argentina winners in 90 minutes. And subbing in Pezzella again after when you have Lisandro (and France having no strikers known for aerial dominance at that point). Scaloni has done many great things, but he has not figured out how to make the right subs at the right time.

  15. Congratulations all.. Frist 70 min we played our best game like one side game, france are totally unable to close to our box but after what happen what…..
    All are good, no complain today but i have to say about our midfield. Just class , dominant midfield. de paul what a player he always run with his hurt, even paredes played good. But the two Enzo and Macalester..owoo just beauty.. This two guy just awesome. I know some were hate mac but i support him from frist day and he dont disappointed me.now i think all are love macalister…
    Macalester, enzo are two all-rounder midfielder with high class….

  17. That midfield trio oh my god… Enzo macallister and de Paul. The unsung heroes. They defended, progressed the ball, scored goals, made vital assists and most importantly they played their heart out. All legends praised the defense and of course Messi and alvarez and di Maria, but god…our midfield is the backbone behind all this for me. And @el Principe I know this is not the moment for any arguments but I have to tell you the truth is that your judgement regarding macallister had gone fully wrong. He is a warrior who gives 200% in the pitch and any word we can use to describe him is only “true warrior”. Just pure midfielder. He was everywhere. Played almost all minutes and provided the trust to scaloni that the real destiny made him arrived in this great stage for Argentina and he showed from the start to the end.

    • I criticized him because before the WC he was playing bad and he got so much minutes which is unfair to some other players. But if he plays so much minutes and he plays good then it is good. He was very good in the final. No one would guess before the WC started that Enzo and MacAllister would be our pillars.

  18. Lisandro / Dybala / Paredes instead of Acuna for Di Maria would have prevented the game from reaching extra time. Lisandro instead of Pezzella in the extra time would have prevented that French rebound that caused the last penalty.

    Scaloni did an absolutely incredible job to tactically prepare for the French first team, basically dismantling French midfield and attack for the first 75 minutes. Giroud and Dembele being subbed out in the first half is a massive tactical triumph for Scaloni. But his own subs once again nearly got in the way Messi achieving his dream.

    Another thing to sort out is how quickly the team falls apart whenever they get hit by a goal. It is unacceptable.

    With those two things fixed, we can have the Copa America 24 for Leo as his parting gift.

    • Acuna wasn’t that bad actually. It was Otamendi’s blunder that took it to extra time. And referee’s blunder that took it to penalty shoot-outs. The last penalty to France wasn’t a penalty because France handled it before.

      • He was not bad but he also offered nothing. He took away a major threat that was keeping the shaky French right side paralyzed. It was a tactical mistake that destroyed the balance of the side.

        I saw that video, but there are other angles that make it look like it came of the head of the Frenchman.

  21. MessišŸ„° Wont Retire Untill 2026.He will play as a sub. And the youngsters can gain from him around with tje team. At2026 W. C he will be 38. He can play as a play Maker. A Stress free Messi and Happy is More dangerous than Young Messi in technical quality.
    Wine Matures with agešŸ˜‡.
    I love to see him in Argentine Shirt with out Presssure and enjoy his game. That is more dangerous for opp. Teams than now.

    Vamos!! Long Live the King Messi!!!šŸ„°

  22. For a common middle-class individual like me, its really hard to achieve dreams, One of my dreams was always to see Argentina lift the World Cup. I m happy it happened during my lifetime.

    Keep Dreaming Messi, You have achieved everything what you have dreamed off, Now nothing is left to achieve, Be less stressful and enjoy as much as possible, Continue for us atleast till the Copa. Take breaks, Guide the next generation, Dybala, Lo Celso, Luka Romero, Garnacho etc. Pass on your wisdom to them, Please decide when to end your Last dance, Most of the elite athletes don’t know when to finish their career. Choose the right moment. Di Maria actually did correct. He ended on a high. But Messi is something else. He can carry on as long as he need.

  23. First of all I would like to congratulate Argentina football fans all over the world. This is a win I’ve believed in for a long time and it’s great that it’s a team win. They are all very talented players that I trust. Now is the time for us to celebrate as we have won our third trophy since 1986 after going through a lot of suffering. This is the best final ever. Although the score was beyond my expectations. It’s hard to believe when the score was 2-0 until the second half of the second half, we lost control again and let the opponent equalize. We took the lead again at the end of the second extra time and were leveled again and almost paid the price. Fortunately, God was on Argentina’s side because we were the better team. He also allows the proud to admit defeat in order to correct mistakes.
    It can be seen that France possesses many players of African origin with outstanding physicality. Our team couldn’t maintain the pressure so we left a lot of space. The team spirit today is something I want to continue to see in the future.
    Thank you all and love you all.

  24. If the influence and inspiration of Diego Maradona can produce a Lionel Messi, I have no doubt that the legacy of Messi will produce another great player someday somewhere in Argentina.

    People couldn’t sleep before the game and I can’t sleep after winning it.

  25. I still canā€™t believe itā€™s real, Iā€™m scared that if I go to sleep now when I wake up it wonā€™t be real, it feels so surreal, so unimaginable, Iā€™m at a loss for words
    This game could not have PHYSICALLY been suffered more, I mean name a way in which we could have suffered more. During multiple parts I suddenly felt we had chances of losing. From euphoria to bitter disbelief to euphoria to bitter disbelief. Seriously, write me a script where it could have been suffered more. I feel it embodies the story of Messi with Argentina, he won it in his last game after years upon years of suffering, and this game also had to wait until the very last moment after hours of suffering. Iā€™m dead, Iā€™m running on less than four hours of sleep for 36 hours, Iā€™m pale, sweaty, my eyes are red, my head hurts, but Iā€™m so happy that I didnā€™t even realize until I looked in the mirror! Didnā€™t even eat for 7 hours when I woke up. Just beautiful.

  26. I just woke up from a wonderful sleep, in contrast to 2014 when I couldnā€™t sleep or eat properly for a week. For once, the reality is much sweeter than the dream. Before the final, I made a promise to myself that if we won, I would make a pilgrimage to the wonderful birth-country of Diego, Leo, Gabriel, and many more saints. This is a dream I have left to fulfil. Thank you Argentina!

  27. When the FIFA World Cup 2022 Best 11 be announced? A lot of medias have made their versions. This is mine.

    Emi Martinez: simply the best when it count the most
    Achraf Hakimi
    Cuti Romero: Otamendi has better stats but Cuti is superior in semis and final. For me one of the best defenders in the tournament
    Jvosko Gvardiol
    Luke Shaw
    Sofyan Amrabat
    Antoine Griezmann
    Enzo Fernandez: We are the champ, one of the best in the tournament not just among youth.He outplayed all other midfielders in any matchups (Croatia, Netherlands, France)
    Kylian Mbappe
    Lionel Messi
    Julian Alvarez

    • My list is very close to yours but instead of Shaw I have T.Hernandez (despite of his STUPID penalty against England) and instead of Julian (who was FANTASTIC) I have Alexis, who btw el principe proved us both wrong, well done McAllister.

  28. My kids became official fan of Argentina šŸ˜‚
    Messi .. Argentina…they are keep on telling that…

    Surely, Argentina have earned millions fans after this triumph…šŸ”„

  29. All bench players coming into the match and all penalty takers from France have origin in Africa. They’re so strong physically. Good that we can hold them for the last minutes.

  30. Who would have thought..Enzo and Mac Allister going to be integral part of the WC winning team. They were not even the first sub for the main midfielders..!

    They were excellent.

  33. Unbelievable game. Gerrud Griezman and Mbappe couldnā€™t do much for most of the game. Scaloni tactically shut them downnnn. I think playing di MarĆ­a on the left surprised the French a lot since heā€™s never played there under Scaloni. Made a mistake bringing him out. I love acuna as an lb but not in midfield.

    • During the First half of the game, Mbappe, Giroud, and Griezman combined touched the ball for only 36 times compared to Messi alone 30 times.

      Argentina was a monster during the first half and played the most entertaining game ever – even better than the 2006 Serbia game IMO

  34. World Cup players whose transfer stock has gone šŸ“ˆšŸ“ˆšŸ“ˆ

    šŸ‡¦šŸ‡· Alexis Mac Allister
    šŸ‡¦šŸ‡· Enzo FernĆ”ndez
    šŸ‡¦šŸ‡ŗ Harry Souttar
    šŸ‡­šŸ‡· Dominik Livakovic
    šŸ‡­šŸ‡· Josip Juranović
    šŸ“󠁧󠁢󠁄󠁮󠁧ó æ Jude Bellingham
    šŸ‡©šŸ‡Ŗ Jamal Musiala
    šŸ‡ÆšŸ‡µ Ritsu Doan
    šŸ‡²šŸ‡¦ Azzedine Ounahi
    šŸ‡²šŸ‡¦ Sofiane Boufal
    šŸ‡³šŸ‡± Cody Gakpo
    šŸ‡³šŸ‡± Jurrien Timber

  35. Can anybody plz tell me stats of maclister, enzo and romero yesterdays match how many passes, defence attack
    Uff i always belived in maclister from the day he weared a number 10 jerssey in PL
    BUT ENZO REALLY SURPRISED ME
    i never thought these 2 have this much range of passing+defencive+finishing skills
    Alhamdulilah we have a superb midfield for next worldcup as well

  36. What a game!! It couldn’t have been more torturous joy!!

    I literally had to self prescribe myself a heart rate and blood pressure lowering drug today!! It couldn’t have been more dramatic!

    We will talk about the details later – but I must mention today that I start liking McAllister very much. What a game he had today!!! The silent killer

  37. I still canā€™t believe it. And for those of you in the USA, the ESPN coverage is awful, especially that red headed piece of shit with a mouth Alexi Lalas. In a country with so many immigrants, espn somehow thinks this fucking loser has an important opinion. We should all chip in to buy Lalas a ticket to go kiss his idol Mbappeā€™s ass.

    • FOXSPORTS and I called Alexi Lalas an Imbecile from the very beginning of this WC since he’s been like that forever BUT WHO CARES, WE ARE THE CHAMPS OF THE WORLD 3 STARS BABY šŸ™‚

  38. Let us not forget how amazing our attacking play was in the first 30 min..9/10 build ups ended in the penalty box of France… AMAZING attacking masterclass by La Albiceleste..

    That is what we need to hipd on to…if we play that way..we can win another Copa/WC double..why not?

  39. My only brother and my best friend passed away in 2015, I looked at his picture before the game and I KNOW he would have been very VERY happy for me because he knew how much I wanted it.
    Thank you Messi Thank you all the players Ty all the coaching staff thank you ALL THE FANS HERE, at the stadium in ARGENTINA AND AROUND THE WORLD

    BUT ABOVE EVERYTHING ELSE, THANK YOU GOD, THANK YOU, YOU ANSWERED OUR PRAYERS AND CRIES THANK YOU.

    I told you guys, THINK POSITIVE and good things might just happen and they did.

  40. We finally won it after 36 years!! I had my blood pressure sky rocketing during this match! After that 2 french equaliser i lost my head. What a game!!! Emi martinez should have been the MOTM instead of messi. We won it because of his heroics, that last minute save oh boy!!! Messi is officially the greatest of all time gives me so much joy. No more ronaldo comparison. Lautaro was our higuain of 2014 today. I couldnā€™t stop cursing him after his misses. I thought higuain was back in the form of lautaro. We are the world champions!!! Vamossss argentina!!!!

    • Man, Messi had a last minute shot saved by French GK…it would have been finished in normal time otherwise…
      This is final…som many great moments…
      Emi’s save is one of those…

  41. I still canā€™t believe how Dubu saved that ball at the end of extra time. What a legend he is. Enzo, Mac, cuti, tag, Di Maria played the game of their life. We deserved to win the World Cup. After tonightā€™s victory, messi now will forever be remembered as the undisputed GOAT!!

  45. we can windup in 90 mts with no panic. Otamendis one just blunder cost our players suffers lots after that. If he cleared it that moment thr is not much threat from French plyrs..

    • As the ball arrived there I shouted to my wife ā€œjust kick it outā€¦!!ā€ Then disaster..we know whatā€™s coming at that moment before it even happens brother! šŸ¤¦šŸ»ā€ā™‚ļøšŸ¤¦šŸ»ā€ā™‚ļø But thankfully this team showed again the FIGHTING spirit! šŸ‡¦šŸ‡·šŸ‡¦šŸ‡·šŸ‡¦šŸ‡·

    • Itā€™s interesting in a way, that the now champions Argentina when they play they refuse to kick the ball out of play in difficult situations but a lot of the players seem to have no problem committing dangerous ā€˜tacticalā€™ fouls itā€™s crazy šŸ˜…šŸ¤·šŸ»ā€ā™‚ļø

    • True, without that Otamendi bluder, we should have won in 90 minutes.
      Also, the penalty in the extra time to France was not legitimate.
      “kick out” is indeed much safer than “tactical fouls”

  46. Hello my friends!! How is everybody? I had to take a break from this forum after the Copa America win but now we are finally world champions and I remembered everyone here and had to login again so I could share all the happiness here!

    What a journey for Scaloni, for Messi, and for all the players and staff who broke this spell of 36 years. I was a young boy in 1986 and remember it very loosely. Never thought I would have to wait this long, and at times thought maybe it will never happen again.
    This is the moment to enjoy, to take it in and never let go. Winning a world cup is not a given. It is the rarest and hardest of sporting things. No one knows what tomorrow brings but this moment is forever! Congratulations everyone!!
    aguante argentina! campeones del mundo por tercera vez! lo recordaremos siempre.

  50. OMG that Emi save at the end…would have been so unjustice. Imagine if that is a goal in 123 mins, nightmare scenario. World is a much better place now. Mario Goetze celebrated with his kid after the argentine goals.

  53. Adidas will make millions when they release new Argentina shirt with three star and champion log on it They will sell many messi shirt and di maria too,just you know sponsor following players, de Paul, Dybala, Palacios a Correa di maria lich martinez, emi martinez and many more af course messi is adidas face every knows that

  54. Cuti Romero haven’t won anything with club level and Argentina he won everything copa and world Cup what a player I followed him since Genoa amazing

  55. We are champions of the world. To those who doubted us after the first match, you should be ashamed. What a ride and journey over the last year and a half.

  56. *whew* What an exciting world cup that was!!! 2022 congrats to the boys, they did their people and supporters proud.
    This is the team of 2014 (full of grit and hardwork) that kept growing into the tournament, but what this team has that the 2014 didn’t is better finishing and a fit Angel Dimaria.
    Also, having youngsters like Julian, Enzo, Alexis (proved most of us wrong!!), Cuti, Molina and Licha….in addition to (hopefully) the likes of Garnacho, Soule, Luka Romero, N.Perez, Madina and Almada bodes well for the future.

    • Mamoun you came to my mind ask myself where is Mamoun bro, haven’t seen any post from you during the world cup , it’s joy time bro
      We deserve this after what we went through heartbroken finals in last 20 years so happy for all mundo family in here I luv you all, definitely I will watch football without any pressure from now on.

    • agree! a ball carrier (Enzo), energetic midfielders who are willing to run and cover from defensive midfield to attack (MacA and RDP), a fit and clearly still deadly ADM, and a striker who is willing to just press and press to cover for Messi (Julian). all these were missing in the 2014 class as they were established stars who were probably tired and felt the ball would fall to their feet.

  58. Astrologist’s prediction, so close:

    “Last year, Sirius predicted that Argentina would certainly be in the World Cup semifinals. Then, just a few days ago, he guaranteed theyā€™ll beat Croatia. Towards the final, the astrologer admitted there’s a bit of a complication considering he doesn’t have enough information about the French players’ birth cards. However, this is his prediction. ”

    “In the three birth cards that I can compare of the National Teams, I see Argentina a little better. Nevertheless, this time it’s very difficult to make a concise prediction. First, because I donā€™t have important astrological information about France. Second, because though I can see a slight advantage for Argentina in the cards, the difference is not overwhelming as it happened with Croatia. The solar revolutions from the birth cards for Lionel Messi are really strong. The same happens with the card for Lionel Scaloni.”

    https://bolavip.com/en/qatar2022/Qatar-2022-Astrologer-predicts-who-wins-and-scores-in-the-World-Cup-final-between-Argentina-and-France-20221217-0017.html

  60. My brothers.. thank you for the ride…thus was the best WC ever in more ways than one…with the final climax that was the icing on the cake! CAMPEONES!
    thank you Argentina for sharing your nationhood with millions of people like me who adopted you by passion… today (as I was since 7 y.o.) I am an Argentine too! Very Happy..very proud… many other people who support other countries outside their birth nation just don’t understand Argentina supporters are ‘different’…we are not plastic..were bound by passion spirit and soul

    “Where is Messi?” Was trending in France before the final…

    Haha..where is Messi? He’s celebrating through out the night…where are YOU..you arrogant butt-wipes?

    The arrogant bustardos who asked this Q got what they asked for.

    We are WORLD CHAMPIONS..VAMOS!

  61. Lets celebrate. Please no more slandering of players, coach, tactics. Just enjoy. We dont know how long we have to wait for another one.

  62. Everything happened for a reason?

    Lo Celso injury (Macallister)
    Nico/Correa injuries
    Paredes out of form (Enzo)
    Lautaro disallowed goals vs Saudis and out of form (Julian)
    Lose vs Saudis, end of unbeaten run, 6 finals after that
    Messi great goal vs Mexico from nothing
    Australia end game
    Holland end game (penalties for the final)
    Di Maria small injuries to be fully fit in final
    France end game

    Macallister the master of off the ball movements and of third man running. Better than Lo Celso, Gio is better dribbler and playmaker than him, but Alexis is better defensively, retention dribbler, off the ball and shooter.

    • yeah, somehow things just happened for a reason. our loss to KSA, the coming backing after dutch equalised, GLC replaced by MacA (not many would have thought of MacA), replacement of Parades and Guido with Enzo, Lautaro with Julian. Simply amazing. The wins over Holland, revenge against Croatia then the French, England’s, Brazil’s, Germany’s losses. Simply amazing. i hate Mbappe. But if it’s fated, its fated. woo hoo! Simply loving it…..

    • The last save by DIBU I think my heart stop for 5 seconds just like 2014, he opened his entire body to block the shot . I love you DIBU you are my Goichoichea, my dad used to tell me how good he was but Iā€™m glad I witnessed you play and take US to the dream land. Thank you šŸ™šŸæ,
      VAMOS ARGENTINA šŸ‡¦šŸ‡·
      VAMOS ARGENTINA šŸ‡¦šŸ‡·
      Iā€™m not crying šŸ˜­

  65. Congrats team! It was so long. I still wish we won 2-0, it was a masterpiece then!

    Di Maria and Pazella were the bad subs today. Remember the last minute 122, we almost ended our dream with Pazella!

    We need lots of work for lead defending, they only did that well against Mexio, Poland and Croatia, but failed against Australia, Netherlands and France. All the failed three happened in the knockout stage

      • yeah, somehow things just happened for a reason. our loss to KSA, the coming backing after dutch equalised, GLC replaced by MacA (not many would have thought of MacA), replacement of Parades and Guido with Enzo, Lautaro with Julian. Simply amazing. The wins over Holland, revenge against Croatia then the French, England’s, Brazil’s, Germany’s losses. Simply amazing. i hate Mbappe. But if it’s fated, its fated. woo hoo! Simply loving it…..

  66. What a game! So nerve-wracking! We deserved to win and we did it! Huge monkey off our back. It’s such a relief and watching football is going to be different now, in a way much more relaxing. Had a good celebration with @Julian on St. Clair Ave in Toronto where Argentine fans usually gather. It was nuts!

  67. I don’t know what to write what to read!!! WWW is full of Argentina, Messi and of course the world cup!!!!! ENJOY this day guys!!!! We were here before heartbreaking but god of football this time played a trick with us but eventually he was our side with another D10S

  68. I am so so happy! This was a game that almost gave me a heart attack but the win is so worth it. After losing the final in 2014 and how we all felt then, to the joy we feel now! Just amazing!

  72. Honestly, I felt a little bit of sympathy for Cristiano Ronaldo and especially Neymar when they were crying.

    But not so much for Mbappe.
    Correct me if I am wrong but Mbappe seems to be the most arrogant one. He was completely out of the game for 80 minutes and we should have never let him into the game.

    • I wonder why exactly around 80th minutes?? I mean Against Netherlands only we conceded 2 goals after 80th minutes. Against Aussie one deflected one. Against France 2 goals. I know a lot of factors like fatigues, lack of concentration, bad subs, bad luck etc.

      Like today Molina was completely lacking of concentration when he let Mbappe scored the second goal. Mbappe was clearly wanted to play 1-2 but Molina forgot to follow him.

      Also really curious why Scaloni never went for 3-5-2 with Licha when we lead 2-0. Why Acuna? Acuna and Tagli both were not that good the entire match. If he wanted to keep 4-4-2, we had better players to replace Di Maria than Acuna.

      • Itā€™s the lack of hybrid wide forward/winger that made him sub AcuƱa basically. He wanted to sub Di Maria and replace him with someone who could defend and still have some attacking capabilities. Papu when available is not great defensively but capable for attacking purposes, and same with Joaquin Correa.

        Nico would have been absolutely perfect for that role.

  75. When Emi made that save in the 120th minute, I was so relieved and confident at the same time that we would win the PK shootout. And we did.

    How amazing it is to be a fan of Argentina. Most of other strong teams screwed up now. Brazil, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal dismiss their coach. Germany is still rebuilding. Italy have lost their identity. England is always overrated.

    We just won the World Cup. Pretty much only Di Maria, Papu, and Armani who will retire. Others should be hungry to add more trophy. What’s more, we will include Garnacho who will be the direct replacement of the legend Di Maria. Otamendi spot eventually will be replaced by one of Nehuen Perez or Senesi. Licha will move to the starting line up to partner his best friend Cuti. All we need is to find a new talent for LB and we will still be the team to beat at least for 2 more years.

  76. If we don’t go back all the way to Jules Rimet trophy, and only consider the modern FIFA trophy since 1974, then Argentina is actually the most successful team in world cups along with Germany. Both have 3 titles. Brazil, Italy and France have 2 each and Spain have 1.

  79. Actually now with little bit of jumping back in time as only 4 yearā€™s or the road to WC 2018 which started with Tata Retiring after first few WCQā€™s( if i remember right and then came Bauza who nearly failed Arg to get in WC and then Sampa for short and also a another crazy period of coaching again, well i seriously think now that if at 2018 even the team was not this good as only KUN could had been in this group from 2018 amongst those who remained from 2018 and are now WC Champions, well even at 2018 just with better coaching and more complete project as this from Scaloni and Co. Arg could had won at least France as we were so close allready, though paid for silly mistakes and for Sampaā€™s madness, as Ok this was a close one too, but it did not had to as Arg was way superior to this french team and only gave away 2 penalties and one goal which could had been more better defended, but i wonā€™t go wondering about past anymore as there is no need AS AFTER 36 yearā€™s ARG HAS FINALLY LIFTED THEIR MORE THAN DESERVED 3 WC TROPHY AS, maybe it should or rather could had been Argā€™s 5th, but at the moment i just canā€™t describe my joy and happiness with my whole family as ARG WON THEIR 3rd WC and they were able to do it finally with MESSI and ADM AND OTA TOO, AS IT WAS SO EMOTIONAL SEEING THE WHOLE TEAM AFTER WINNING THE PKā€™s AND BECOMING WORLD CHAMPIONS FOR THE 3rd time !

    GONGRATS TO EVERY MEMBER HERE ON MUNDO AND GONGRATS TO LA SELECCION AND ARGENTINA AS A NATION AND COUNTRY !

  81. From minutes 80, Otamendi often got tired, it’s a pattern every single game. It’s the age that showed. Today we can’t blame Scanoli. There’re lessons to be learnt.

    If I’ll do things again, I’ll keep Di Maria for at additional 10 mins

    • Di Maria was struggling with defending and started fading as well.

      If anything De Paul was in longer than he needed to be. Unfortunately, no one who could do all that he does.

      • France was scared of Di Maria, you can tell that easily. When Di Maria was subbed, they were energized. They finally could put less concentration on defending and more on attacking. It was a bad sub. Di Maria should have stayed until 80th minute at least. Yes he was tired, but the presence of the tired Di Maria was enough to keep shut down their right side attack completely.

        • That’s right, we shouldn’t take our best player out. It happens in 2006 with Requelme, 2014 with Levazzi, and 2022 with Di Maria. It’s a pattern that they never learn. But the lady luck is with us, the luck of the champion!

          Look at France’98, Thuram almost never scored for France, yet put two in the semi final; then Zidance, never saw him scored a header, yet put two in the final!

        • @el_principe
          Yes, the DiMaria sub changed the game. France did not get even a shot until the 70th minute after DiMaria was subbed off. I thought we were going to win this 4-0. In the past, that would have cost us, but fortune/grace was on our side. We had to win in spite of us. Someone here on Mundo once said, “We played beautiful in the past but lost due to luck.. Football is a game of luck” (I believe in 2014,2015, 2016 I read this repeatedly concerning Higuain mostly). Luck was on our side this time. Even Lautaro didn’t show up and had chances. It didn’t matter, destiny was on our side. Thank God!

        • I think it is easy after the match to say we could have done this way or that way. I think, Scaloni wanted to retain the same attacking threat of Di Maria with the fresh legs of Acuna, at the same time add more defensive stability. But, France, as a champion team, was not ready to give up just like that and so they gradually increased their attacking threat, which eventually resulted in goals for them. In football, time also plays a factor. Remember, we scored a goal against Mexico around the 64th minute. It was not because of any substitutions, but, time played a role in Messiā€™s mind to go for a shot at that time.
          Even if Di Maria played for another ten minutes, I think he would have tired by eightyth minutes. Also, Scaloniā€™ decisions to play 4-3-3 with Di Maria on left wing, substitution to bring Pazella when France was threatening through headers, bringing Paredes for tired De Paul, bringing more defensive Montiel in place of tired Molina, and bringing Dybala for PKs were all seems excellent to me.

  82. The third penalty that was given was questionable im sure if he checked itā€¦ā€¦ forget itā€¦ they did it!!!! And Messi is still gonna play!!!

  83. I want to thank everyone here at Mundo. Roy, all the OG commentatos since the beginnings of this website, all you new people reading this, all of Bangladesh and every other country who got behind us, Brasilians, all south America. I want to thank Messi,Fideo, Mascherano, Kun, Dibu and all the players who sweat the shirt for us these 2 decades plus.. and most of all, Diego, in our hearts always.

    Gracias hermanos!

    Muchhhaaaachos, somos campeones!

    Muchas Copas mas.

  85. France got some luck to equalize the game today two times. We also have luck, not conceding at the end, and penalty luck. That’s the luck of the champion that always eluded us for 36 years!

  86. Guys, i am not argentinian but i am as happy as all of you. So crazy that am i cried on motorway near nowhere in my car. So so happy. Now i dont need to watch football again, this was dream come true. Perfect day. For all of you that are in buenos aires….dance, sing, jump, cry……. its time for joy. Best sport day of my carrier. Congrats to all of you from split,.croatia

  87. People all over the world are asking this question if the GOAT debate has settled?

    I don’t think people will ever stop arguing about it! Diego Maradona vs Lionel Messi! has entered never ending debate now!

    • For me Diego still the GOAT. But Messi will be very close and I am very happy for him.
      But do we need to compare? And are these even objective questions?
      They are our heroes. We need to respect them.

      As for Mbappe we should not have allowed him to come back to the game.

      • I was a huge fan of Maradona and Napoli even more than I am a fan of Messi, but I have to admit that Messi has surpassed him in everything. This World cup show that in the history only 3 players have more than 10 goals/assists combined: Maradona in 1986 with 5/5, Messi with 7/3 and Mbappe with 8/2.

        The only thing that Maradona is better than Messi is his 1986 performance who he single handedly won it for Argentina. No one, up until now, out performs him in the World Cup.

        • If you are talking about overall achievements like trophies/accolades, may be.
          But Maradona had the best ball control, most penetrative runs and great vision too, which is why he was able to play like that in 1986.

          I don’t want to get into arguments with stats and all. Just pointing out that Maradona did not take any penalties earned by others like Messi/Mbappe. He even had a legal goal disallowed against Uruguay in 1986. Also, he played 1982 and 1990 with painkillers. And 1994 they did not allow him to play beyond 2 matches. And despite all that what is achieved is really nothing less than a fairy tale.

          Again, just my opinion. Don’t want to go into arguments.

          • Arguments for messi:
            1. Maradona never had to play under incompetent / crazy coaches (Maradona 2010 & Sampaoli 2018 ruined messi’s chances)
            2. Team around messi was flawed in 2014 (with all other strikers injured / out of form most of the tournament). Sabella went ultra defensive in QF & SF which sidn’t allow messi to shine

            How else do you explain that messi at 35 years played the best worldcup of his career but could not do so when he was in peak form in previous 3 world cups when he was 23/27/31 years old.

            Nobody has matched maradona@1986 till now, but messi could have if he had proper team/coach in 2010, 2014, 2018

  89. We won Copa America by beating S.American champions.
    We won Finalissima by beating European champions.
    We won World Cup by beating World champions.
    We also had long 36 match unbeaten streak which was wrongly ended by a false offside call.

    We are awesome!

  90. As happy as I am, but do we really need to suffer like this?
    We totally DOMINATED till 80 minutes. Then completely lost focus and nerves and allowed them to come back. Again we allowed them to come back in extra time. We need to improve on this aspect.

  91. Congrats everyone. What a time to be alive. After 32 years the time has come and our misery has ended tonight. Thanks everyone for your support for your passion and even for your doubtful comments. Nothing is important and now let win another one. Copa is waiting and messi will be part of the team. Back to back copa wins here we come. šŸ„°šŸ˜šŸ¤©šŸ˜˜šŸ˜˜šŸ„³šŸ„³šŸ„³šŸ„³šŸ„³šŸ„³

  93. Angel Di Maria(I have been his huge fan from the very beginning but many mundo members were against him):
    1. Goal in the olympic final
    2. Scored in Copa final
    3. Scored in Finalissima
    4. Scored against the Swiss at the last minute of extra time
    4. Scored against france in 2018
    5. Scored against France in 2022 final

  95. Can we build a statue of Di Maria?
    Scored in Olympics finals, Scored in Copa finals, scored in Finalissima, scored in World Cup finals and even earned a penalty. The Messi generation is incomplete without him.

  96. Congratulations to all Mundo members whom for years we went through together bad and happy times. This is the moment I have waited for a long time. The day Saudi Arabia beat us, I said I have a big hope, and I used Real Madrid vs Sheriff as an example. That dream has turned into reality. Vamos Argentina!

  104. I am very happy that he is not retiring.
    He should stay till the next world cup.
    Messi is clever. I think Messi might have said the retirement thing to motivate his players to give their best.

  107. reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/zp6q9g/lionel_messi_with_his_man_of_the_match_trophy/

    Messi with THREE START jersey posing with the Man of the match award and the WORLD CUP!!

  108. Thanks God he does not retire. Losing both him and Di Maria would be like died by thousands of cuts. One more trophy Messi: Copa America in 2 years.

    Hope he wonā€™t join MLS. Stay in Europe keep playing at the highest level, Who knows he still got it in 4 years.

  110. I am still thirsty and drinking water again & again. My throat became so dry due to most tensed match of my life despite here are winter season in Pakistan. I canā€™t express my feelings.

  112. Yes! Wanna see u in that ā­ļøā­ļøā­ļø Albiceleste new jersey šŸ’™šŸ¤šŸ’™
    Congratulations again Mundo frens šŸŽ‰

    • After 36 yearā€™s since and Yes at this moment i wishmore than DIEGO would had been a live, but ā€LIFE IS LIFEā€ and unfortunatly he passed away 25.11.2020 just a bit more than half year before the famous COPA victory at MARACANA and now finally after 36 yearā€™s of waiting ARG finallly have lifted their 3rd WC and with this more than such a great team and with their captain MESSI the best player ever who have existed in history of football with only DIEGO and both are ARGENTINE and MESSI stating that he will want to continue with playing LA SELECCION, WOW ! COMPLETLY SPEECHLESS AND SO, SO HAPPY AS I REMEMBER THAT DAY AS YESTERDAY WHEN DIEGO GAVE THAT ONE OF THE GREATEST PASSES IN HISTORY TO BURRUCHAGA, WELL I HAVE TO SAY ARG PLAYED THEIR BEST GAME IN THE TOURNAMENT LIME THIS AS WC SO NO BETTER TIMING COULD HAD EVER BEEN MADE AS AGAIN SO MUCH MORE THAN U FORTUNATE TO SUFFER 2 GOALS IN more less 3 min period of time as again maybe with given added time less than 20 minutes tilā€™ the end, BUT AGAIN SHOWED MORE THAN GREAT CHARACTER AT EXTRA TIME AND SHOWED AGAIN LIKE IN THE WHOLE MATCH OVERALL THAT WHO WAS THE BETTER SIDE AS THERE WAS NO DOUBT OF THAT AS ARGENTINA WAS SUPERIOR TO FRANCE, butaa we seen before and suffered alllready for this very same to happen with against Netherlands that things can change out of nowwhere as iā€™m not going to analylize why it happened again and i donā€™t want to point any fingers to no one etc..,as after the Netherlands game my son was alkready having real efects of shock, well at this time again offcourse he was crying like myself too as i could not belive it that France scored 2 goals in more less than 3 min of time and again it went to extra time as the only diffence this time came from my son who was refusing to belive that France would won as Arg looked again better team at extra time and scored a another Great goal as all the goals Arg scored were more than beauties that will stay in history forever, but specially the second and the third as obviously it is not an easy task to score an penalty in the final of WC as MESSI did twice with DYBALA, PAREDES AND MONTIEL WITH THE WINNER AS DIBU WAS AMAZING IN THE GOAL AGAIN AS HE ALLMOST STOPPED THAT FIRST MBabbeā€™s penalty and with Franceā€™s equalizer there was not much he could do, but what an GAMESAVER SIBU DID AT THE VERY DIEYING MINUTES OF SECOND EXTRA TIME AS THAT WAS A CLEAR MATCH WINNER AND AT LEAST GAVE MORE BOOST TO HIS CONFINCENCE FOR THE PENALTIES, THOUGH DONā€™T HONESTLY DARE WVEN TO SAY IF HE EVER EVEN NEEDS A CONFIDENCE GOING FOR PK SHOOTOUTā€™s as Penalties in middle of the game are obviously harder asthey hit u even harder and with more surprise too, as that save ended up allmost with another great Argā€™s attack for Montiel crossing to to LAUTARO who just did not get his header right, BUT after that 3rd great goal scored by MESSI i felt so much of huge Relief and i was giving thnx to my 9 year old son who was suffering lime against Netherlands, but this time kept beliving and refusing up and, then again penalty for France and the game was 3-3 as i was literally heading fir the phone and seriously thinking of calling and ambulance as my son and me were both suffering and had so much emotional pain that i was not sure if i could even dare to watch the penalties, but again somehow my son asonly 9 yearā€™s old never saw 2014 or canā€™t remember those 2 Copaā€™s lost against Chile after that and everything that happened from since 1993 until 2021 as now i consider him as not only a fortune of being my son, as watching Arg games together with him as 3 Finals with COPA 21 FINALISSIMO 22 and now WC 22 have all ended for Argā€™s victory, well i will keep on watching with him never Mind suring what time or hour of the following Arg games will come as obviously he is so hapoy for WHOLE ARGENTINA AS A COUNTRY AND THEIR TEAM LA SELECCION AND FOR MESSI TOO BEING THEIR CAPTAIN AND AS EVERYONE THOUGHT HE MIGHT NOT PLAY AGAIN, WELL OBVIOUSLY BIS LAST STATEMENT MAKES US EVEN MORE HAPPIER AND SOECIALLY MY SON AS Iā€™M SO HAPPY FOR ENZO NAMED AS THE HOUTH PLAYER OF THIS WC AS THAT COULD HAD BEEN EASILY ALVAREZ TOO AS BOTH FROM GALLARDOā€™s MAGIK WORK WITH RIVER BEING SO IMPORTANT FOR ARG IN THIS WC ! AS SO HAPPY FOR DIBU AS HE DESERVES THAT PRIZE FOR BEST GOALIE OF THE TOURNAMENT AS OBVIOYSLY THE BEST PLAYER COULD HAD NOT BEEN ANY OTHER THAN LEO MESSI as only if ARG would had kept clean sheet MESSI would had won the top scorerā€™s prize too, as iā€™m sure he honestly donā€™t give shit of theese invidual prices that he has won more than any player in history of football if iā€™m correct, and even if not, well also i donā€™t give a damn as for MESSI the WC victory with ARG was the only thing he allways wanted and same for me after waiting 36 yearā€™s for ARG ti win and when MESSI olayed at his first WC at 2006 being a team mate of his NT coach of Scaloni and how he developped from there as at that time he was allraedy amazing and now there is no any word in this world or universe to describe him as he just makes everyone speechless and scratching their heads as when France equalled to 2-2 he was just kind of smiling as offcourse i donā€™t know what wwnt trough his head at that moment, but obvioysly at extra time and in penalties he just kept doing his more than best even being allmost knocked out of the ring allraedy twice ! Wow, ! Hatā€™s off to ARG as a team and to their incredible captain who has no word to describe him and to DIBU and to ADM.! And for those who scored their PKā€™s as DYBALA, PAREDES AND MONTIEL and for every player who has played under SCALONI AND CO, as it was nice to see KUN and was that NICO G. there too and did they brought also those who were lefted out at home as back up or who were injured as GLC, NICO G. J.CORREA ETC..,as i would like to hear and to know everyone who was running there to celebrate with LA SELECCION after MESSI had lifted the 3 rd WC for ARG AT LAST ! GONGRATTS TO EVERYONE HERE ON MUNDO AND GONGRATTS TO WHOLE ARGENTINA AS NATION AND COUNTRY !

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