World Cup 2022 reaction LIVE: Lionel Messi ‘to continue’ as Didier Deschamps ponders France future

Messi magic helps Argentina win World Cup 2022 against reigning champions France

Lionel Messi was finally able to end his search to lift the World Cup trophy, after his Argentina side beat France 4-2 on penalties following a thrilling 3-3 draw after extra time.

The game’s most revered No10 also won the Golden Ball award for the second finals running, while Kylian Mbappe pipped him to the Golden Boot after netting all three of Les Bleus’ goals in Lusail.

While France boss Didier Deschamps says he’ll be delaying any decision on his future until the new year, opposite number Lionel Scaloni had nothing but praise for his players after ending the nation’s wait of more than three decades to win their third World Cup.

There were also tributes paid to the iconic Diego Maradona in the post-match celebrations, with the 1986 winner having passed away two years ago.

Follow all the reaction to the final and the World Cup as a whole in our live blog, below: 

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‘Messi reaches eternity’: Argentine newspapers react to Argentina’s World Cup glory

That was the reaction from La Nacion in Argentina, with the media back home delirious after a third world title secured in Qatar following the absorbing final in Doha, which finished with a penalty shoot-out win over France.

The newspaper adds that Messi “touched the sky in Qatar” and that they and everybody associated with the Albiceleste went “through all the states of mind”.

“Campeones del Mundo” naturally proliferated many of the websites and front pages, while Olé used the play on words for ‘god’ in Spanish, hailing Messi with their headline reading: “Lios is Argentine”.

Michael Jones19 December 2022 10:40

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Qatar’s billions get the picture they paid for

It was a moment that Lionel Messi had imagined all his life, and he has long had pictures of it in his head – they just might not have looked much like this.

As the Argentina captain at last went to lift the World Cup itself, his team’s crest wasn’t visible, and you could barely see the famous blue and white stripes.

That was already unprecedented for a moment of such symbolism that teams often insist on changing into their home shirts if they play in the away colours. It was exactly what Spain did in 2010.

That iconic shirt wasn’t really visible on Messi, though, because he was wearing a bisht. It’s a garment that middle eastern dignitaries wear over a thawb on formal occasions, as a mark of special achievement.

It should immediately be acknowledged that this could have been quite a beautiful thing.

Michael Jones19 December 2022 10:33

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Argentina’s final act of combativeness after World Cup defined by it

On a night of sensory overload, it was perhaps fitting that the last few scenes were almost as bright and loud as what had come before.

You heard the Argentina squad before you saw them, the thin walls of the mixed zone shuddering and falling over with their bangs and jumps.

It was over three hours after Gonzalo Montiel had powered in his penalty and they finally came through, ostensibly to speak to media.

“It doesn’t matter what those whore journalists say, the whore that gave birth to them.”

Michael Jones19 December 2022 10:26

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Macron ‘as sad as Mbappe’ after France defeated in World Cup final

The Paris Saint-Germain star scored the first hat-trick in a men’s World Cup final since Geoff Hurst in 1966 – but it wasn’t enough for his side to come out on top after Gonzalo Montiel secured Argentina’s victory in a penalty shootout.

“I was as sad as him but I told him he had made us all very proud,” the French president said.

Macron ‘as sad as Mbappe’ after France defeated in World Cup final

Michael Jones19 December 2022 10:19

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Messi’s career in numbers

(AP)

Michael Jones19 December 2022 10:12

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Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni ‘saving a spot’ for Lionel Messi at next World Cup squad

Messi had said the 2022 final would be his final World Cup match but manager Scaloni said it is up to him if he plays at 39 in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Messi finally won the World Cup at the fifth time of asking in Argentina’s penalty shootout victory over France, in which he converted their first spot kick.

He scored two goals in the game, helping him to win the Golden Ball as player of the tournament and was named player of the match in both the semi-final and the final.

Messi has scored 98 goals in 172 caps for Argentina, both national records, since debuting in 2005 and, after a long wait to lift a major international trophy, also captained them in the Copa America triumph in 2021.

Michael Jones19 December 2022 10:05

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‘We have the best players here’: Lionel Messi’s hometown of Rosario celebrates World Cup win

The streets of Lionel Messi’s hometown of Rosario erupted in celebration on Sunday after Argentina football beat France football to win their third World Cup 2022 title.

“We’re champions, which is all we wanted, more than anything for (Messi) and for the whole team,” Santiago Ferraris, 25, said.

Rosario, just like the rest of the country, was paralysed during the nail-biting match that ended in a penalty shootout, which Argentina won 4-2.

Michael Jones19 December 2022 09:58

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Argentina vs France 2022 joins list of classic World Cup finals

Argentina and France served up one of the most dramatic World Cup finals in the competition’s history as Lionel Messi added the last remaining prize to his list of honours.

Kylian Mbappe became just the second man to score a hat-trick in the final after England’s Sir Geoff Hurst, yet still finished on the losing side after the South Americans won 4-2 on penalties following a thrilling 3-3 draw at the Lusail Stadium.

Here we take a look at some of the previous classic finals:

Michael Jones19 December 2022 09:51

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Messi celebrates with his mother

After achieving his dream of finally winning the World Cup, Lionel Messi celebrated with his teammates, hugged his wife and his children then found himself wandering the pitch, evading the advances of the dignitaries and taking in the moment.

That is until his mother found him and the happiness, joy and painstaking relief was released in an outpouring of emotion to the person who has been with him through it all.

Messi hugs his mother after winning World Cup 2022 and Golden Ball

Michael Jones19 December 2022 09:44

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Lionel Scaloni: The caretaker who became a World Cup winner and facilitator of Messi’s dreams

It was the World Cup of Lionel. That one, obviously, the World Cup-winning captain who got the Golden Ball and the man of the match in five of his seven appearances, the player who scored in every knockout round, with a brace in the final, and the footballer who, for many, sealed his case to be deemed the greatest ever.

But also the other Lionel.

The quiet man of Argentinian football, the facilitator of Lionel Messi’s dreams, the caretaker who became a World Cup winner. Lionel Scaloni is the first World Cup-winning manager who has been managed by Alan Pardew. It probably was not the secret of his success but, with after securing Argentina’s first Copa America in 28 years, he now has their first World Cup for 36.

He stands alongside Cesar Luis Menotti and Carlos Bilardo though a modest figure argued: “I am not at their level yet.” Perhaps it is because it will take time for him to get used to the idea of Scaloni being a World Cup winner.

Michael Jones19 December 2022 09:37