The conclusive night of the Fifa WC 2022

He smiled, he paused, then he hoisted high the World Cup, a lifetimeu2019s dream realised. For all the accolades, the awards, the riches, titles and silverware, there had been one stain on his career resume, and it was one he erased forever on a magical World Cup night for Argentina.
u201cItu2019s anyoneu2019s childhood dream,u201d Messi said. u201cI was lucky to have achieved everything in this career… and this one that was missing is here. Itu2019s madness… look how she (the World Cup) is, sheu2019s gorgeous. I wanted her so much. I had a vision that this would be the one… she was getting closer.u201d
 Source : Al JazeeraOn this patch of green in the Qatari desert, all that mattered to the 35-year-old was to deliver the much-yearned-for World Cup to Argentina, and he did so with a virtuoso performance against defending champions France in what transpired to be a final for the ages. Having steered Argentina to a 2-0 lead which they blew in the final 10 minutes, he then put them ahead in extra time, before finally converting his penalty in the shootout which they ultimately won.
As tens of thousands of Argentines packed into the febrile stadium jumped and hugged and cried and screamed, so too did the Argentine team, sobbing freely and mobbing the man who has been their talisman for a generation. It had taken five attempts, and a record 26 World Cup finals matches, but the boy from Rosario u2013 the farm hub city some 300 kilometres north of Buenos Aires u2013 finally delivered to lift himself alongside that other Argentina footballing deity, Diego Maradona, who had taken his nation to the title in 1986.u201cWe suffer, but we already have it (the World Cup),u201d Messi said. u201cI wanted to close my career with this, I can no longer ask for anything else, thank God, he gave me everything.u201dThis Argentina side had arrived in Qatar described by some, unkindly, as u2018Leo Messi and 10 other guysu2019. A lacklustre defeat at the hands of Saudi Arabia in their first match did little to dispel that notion.He had arrived in Qatar with the dreams of a nation on his shoulders once again. Eight years ago in a World Cup final in Rio de Janeiro, Messi had been muted, not magical and had seemed wearied by the weight of expectation as Argentina fell in the final to Germany.This time, though, he wore it lightly, seemingly inspired by the desperation seeping from every voice in the stands. The victory was the culmination of an extraordinary career, which has seen him voted the worldu2019s best player a record seven times.Could it be any more perfect? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.