G.O.A.T (Greatest of All Times) — Messi

What an amazing final match it was between Argen- tina and France, where the star team, with Lionel Messi leading from the front, succeeded in bring-
ing the FIFA World Cup 2022 home. More than bringing the cup home, the match turned out to be the debate set- tler on Messi being the G.O.A.T (greatest of all times) with him joining the elite club of top-class former footballers, especially Maradona who, during his tenure, ensured that Argentina wins the football world cup. Emotions and fierce passion have made the FIFA World Cup 2022 memorable for the world that was left glued to the TV screen as Argen- tina was inching towards a much-awaited victory.
Football is a sport later, it is a passion at the first, and how it affects people across the world, was quite visible as Argentina kept depositing goals in the penalty shootout to decide the winner after the scores turned out to be equal. The French soccer team was no less when they were out in the field, ensuring that they give a tough competition to Argentina. Earlier, it seemed that Messi would have a walk over France, but then, all of a sudden things changed, with France’s Kylian Mbappé taking the lead and deposit- ing goal after goal, bringing the scores to level. Then again, things picked up for Argentina—and it looked like it was a done deal—but France struck back, taking it all to the pen- alty shootout.
Coming back to the role of Messi who is a player of im- peccable standards and skills, and his fans—the diehards— across the globe, projected him as G.O.A.T, but they were countered will more objective fans on Messi’s achieve- ments, especially, getting Argentina to bring home another world cup under Messi. That debate and those counter-ar- guments are gone forever as he has proven that he is the ultimate G.O.A.T: someone who has the pulse, the love and the passion for the game. He maintained that solid grit throughout the tournament which depicted that he was going to take the trophy home right from the start of the tournament. That is what he ended up doing. He literally snatched it from the French and made sure that Argentina gets to have it to themselves.
People have said that they never witnessed such a charged final match of the football world cup and that the one played in Qatar between Argentina and France was something different. It had to be because, apart from fans worldwide, genuine emotions and the soul-connect of the players with the game were just there in the playfield. It was Messi, and it was Mbappé, with Messi prevailing ul- timately as Argentina deposited the victory goal during the penalty shootout to lift the world title after a long wait since 1986. But this time, the wait was worth it. When we talk of the FIFA World Cup 2022, Argentina’s victory comes later, and what comes first is Messi. He will be missed for- ever. The world and the game of football will miss him.