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Lionel Messi Celebrated as the GOAT After Argentina Wins 2022 World Cup vs. France
December 18, 2022
Argentina won its first World Cup title since 1986 by defeating France in Sunday's 2022 final, helping clinch Lionel Messi's status as the greatest of all time.
Messi scored two goals in the 3-3 match before nailing his shot in penalty kicks to help clinch the victory.
Fans and analysts around the world declared him the GOAT during and after the match:
MailOnline Sport @MailSportThe debate is OVER.<br><br>Lionel Messi is the GOAT.<a href="https://t.co/wtEfL6Jc2w">https://t.co/wtEfL6Jc2w</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIFAWorldCup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIFAWorldCup</a> <a href="https://t.co/PLFmAGN40Q">pic.twitter.com/PLFmAGN40Q</a>
Bill Eshun @Bill_EshunThe GOAT debate has officially ended.<br><br>We all understand that Lionel Messi is the greatest player in history. End of story<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIFAWorldCup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIFAWorldCup</a> <a href="https://t.co/Ef6k8MpcDt">pic.twitter.com/Ef6k8MpcDt</a>
Sarafina Napoleon @FinaNapoleonMy GOAT<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ArgentinaVsFrance?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ArgentinaVsFrance</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Messi%F0%93%83%B5?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Messi𓃵</a> <a href="https://t.co/8GLEf83gUu">pic.twitter.com/8GLEf83gUu</a>
CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ @CBSSportsGolazoIn the 23rd minute:<br><br>— Lionel Messi gave Argentina the lead over France<br>— Became the top scorer at the 2022 World Cup<br>— Broke the record for most goal contributions in a Men's World Cup (20)<br>— Surpassed Paolo Maldini for most ever minutes at a World Cup<br><br>Goat things. 🐐 <a href="https://t.co/j15yEMVDT5">pic.twitter.com/j15yEMVDT5</a>
Ihtisham Ul Haq @iihtishammSpotless, non-controversial & what a successful career of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Messi%F0%93%83%B5?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Messi𓃵</a> !! One of the best in the history of Football. GOAT for a reason. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ARGFRA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ARGFRA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ARG?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ARG</a>
The praise for Messi started early as he calmly scored the game's opening goal from the spot.
He helped Argentina put together a dominant performance against the defending World Cup champions as France failed to even take a shot until midway through the second half.
However, Kylian Mbappé put on a show late to send the match to extra time before Messi had another incredible moment with a goal in the 108th minute.
It was the forward's seventh goal of the tournament to go with three assists.
France wouldn't go away, though. Mbappé put forth an incredible effort and scored a hat trick to force penalty kicks, which was enough for him to claim the Golden Boot for the tournament's top scorer and earn high praise from social media.
GrosvenorSport @GrosvenorSportKylian Mbappe (4) has scored more World Cup final goals than any other man in history. <br><br>He's 23 years old! 🤯<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ARGFRA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ARGFRA</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ArgentinaFrancia?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ArgentinaFrancia</a>
The back-and-forth battle went to penalty kicks, and Argentina did enough to come out on top.
Several players deserve credit for the win, including goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, but the moment was a coronation for Messi in an unbelievable career.
The 35-year-old has seven Ballon d'Or awards, four Champions League titles, one Copa América win and now a World Cup title to crown him the best in the history of the sport.