Who is the greatest?<\/a> It\u2019s a discussion that will rage forever because there can never be a definitive answer. Messi has put up a good argument, though, and \u2014 with the World Cup title on his resume \u2014 he is surely above Cristiano Ronaldo as the best player of his generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMessi achieved what Maradona did in 1986 and dominated a World Cup for Argentina. He scored seven goals and embraced the responsibility of leading his team out of those dark moments after a shocking 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in the group stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Playing in the spirit of Maradona, Messi coupled his dazzling skills with rarely seen aggression and led Argentina to the title by becoming the first man in a single edition of the World Cup to score in the group stage and then in every round of the knockout stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The torch will one day pass to Mbapp\u00e9, but not just yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLet\u2019s go, Argentina!\u201d Messi roared into a microphone on the field in the post-match celebrations after playing in a record 26th World Cup match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Later, he said: \u201cI can\u2019t wait to be in Argentina to witness the insanity of this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Messi had a tantalizing glimpse of the 18-carat gold World Cup trophy when walking on the stage to collect the Golden Ball, awarded to the player of the tournament. He even kissed the World Cup and rubbed it repeatedly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He got his hands on it for good about 10 minutes later, after a ceremonial robe \u2014 a bisht \u2014 was draped over his shoulders by Qatar\u2019s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. And, oh, did he enjoy the moment, celebrating with his family and the teammates who put Argentina atop the soccer world for the first time since the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. The country\u2019s other title came in 1978 on home soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Messi was in scintillating form from the start of the final, putting Argentina ahead from the penalty spot after Angel Di Maria was tripped and later playing a part in a flowing team move that resulted in Di Maria making it 2-0 after 36 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mbapp\u00e9, on the other hand, was anonymous until bursting into life by scoring two goals in a 97-second span \u2014 one an 80th-minute penalty, the other a volley from just inside the area after a quick exchange of passes \u2014 to take the game to extra time at 2-2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Messi still had plenty of energy and he was on hand to tap in his second goal in the 108th minute, with a France defender clearing the ball just after it had crossed the line. Argentina was on the brink of the title once again, but there was still time for another penalty from Mbapp\u00e9, after a handball, to take the thrilling game to a shootout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe managed to come back from the dead,\u201d said France coach Didier Deschamps, whose team was looking to become the first back-to-back champions since Brazil in 1962.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mbapp\u00e9 and Messi took their teams\u2019 first penalties and scored. Kingsley Coman had an attempt saved by Argentina goalkeeper Emi Martinez and Aurelien Tchouameni then missed for France, giving Gonzalo Montiel the opportunity to end it. He converted the penalty to the left and sparked wild celebrations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe match was completely insane,\u201d said Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, who was asked if he had a message for Maradona, who died two years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf he had been here, he would have enjoyed it so much,\u201d Scaloni said. \u201cHe would have been the first person on the field (to celebrate). I wish he\u2019d have been here to enjoy the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Europe\u2019s run of four straight World Cup winners, dating to 2006, came to an end. The last South American champion was Brazil, and that was also in Asia \u2014 when Japan and South Korea hosted the tournament in 2002.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Qatar, Argentina backed up its victory from last year\u2019s Copa America, its first major trophy since 1993. It\u2019s quite the climax to Messi\u2019s international career, which is not over just yet. He said after the match that he would continue to play with the national team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was quite a final for a unique World Cup \u2014 the first to be played in the Arab world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For FIFA and the Qatari organizers, a final between two major soccer nations and the world\u2019s two best players represented a perfect way to cap a tournament laced in controversy ever since the scandal-shrouded vote in 2010 to give the event to a tiny Arab emirate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The years-long scrutiny since has focused on the switch of dates from the traditional June-July period to November-December, strong criticism of how migrant workers have been treated, and then unease about taking soccer\u2019s biggest event to a nation where homosexual acts are illegal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Sunday, there was one narrative at play for most people: Could Messi do it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He could, despite the 23-year-old Mbapp\u00e9 doing all he could to deny his Paris Saint-Germain teammate. Finishing the tournament as the top scorer with eight goals is likely only a crumb of comfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Messi has been a man on a mission in the Middle East, determined to erase memories of his only other World Cup final \u2014 in 2014 when Argentina lost to Germany 1-0 and Messi squandered a great chance in the second half.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On that night at the Maracana Stadium, Messi stared down at that golden World Cup trophy that escaped him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eight years later, he raised it aloft in the biggest moment of a career like no other.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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