The 18th of December 2022 in Lusail, Qatar, was the night Lionel Messi completed football. Argentina defeated France on penalties to lift the World Cup, and Messi became the first player to claim the tournament's Golden Ball for a second time.
A final that swung on two minutes
Argentina seemed to be coasting after a 23rd-minute penalty from Messi and a swift second from Ángel Di María. They held a 2-0 lead past the hour mark, the old trophy almost within reach. Then Kylian Mbappé struck twice in an electric burst — an 80th-minute penalty and a fierce finish one minute later — to force extra time at 2-2.
The extra-time heartbreak before the shootout
Messi restored Argentina's lead in the 108th minute, slotting home a rebound after Hugo Lloris parried a shot. The fairytale script was written, but Mbappé tore it up again. His 118th-minute penalty, completing a hat-trick, dragged France level at 3-3 and sent the contest to a shootout.
In front of 88,966 spectators, the shootout belonged to Argentina. Messi converted the first kick, and goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez saved from Kingsley Coman and Aurélien Tchouaméni. Gonzalo Montiel drilled the decisive penalty to seal a 4-2 win.
A record night, a record career
Messi's 26th World Cup match broke Lothar Matthäus's appearance record across five tournaments. He finished the campaign with 13 goals and became the first man to score in the group stage and every knockout round in a single edition. Argentina won their third title, the first since 1986.
"I cannot believe that we have suffered so much in a perfect game," Messi told reporters afterwards. The match had rewritten the record books, but his second Golden Ball stood apart. No one else had won the award twice.
A Copa América, an Olympic gold, a record eighth Ballon d'Or, and now the one prize that had always evaded him. It was the quiet final line of a career that had nothing left to need.
