World Cup 2022 news LIVE: Lionel Messi and Argentina return home after final triumph over France

Lionel Messi and his Argentina teammates have returned to their home country after ending the nation’s 36-year wait for a World Cup trophy.

Messi scored twice against France, but Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe netted a hat-trick as Sunday’s final in Qatar ended 3-3 after extra time.

What was surely the greatest final in World Cup history was then decided on penalties, as Gonzalo Montiel scored the winning spot kick before Messi lifted the trophy that had eluded him for so long.

Argentina have now returned home, while France striker Karim Benzema – who missed the tournament through injury – has hinted that his time with the national team is done.

Follow all the reaction to the final and the World Cup as a whole in our live blog, below: 

World Cup final reaction LIVE

• Argentina beat France on penalties in possibly the World Cup’s greatest ever final

• Lionel Messi scores twice, PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe nets hat-trick in 3-3 draw

• Game decided in penalty shootout as Argentina end their 36-year wait for the trophy

• Argentina team return home from Qatar to celebrate with friends and family

• Karim Benzema hints at France retirement after missing World Cup through injury

World Cup final reaction LIVE

14:20 , Alex Pattle

The Qatar World Cup final played out in front of thousands of empty seats on Sunday, as Argentina took on France at Lusail Stadium.

Despite a significant number of Argentina fans turning up with hopes of seeing Lionel Messi claim the one trophy that has long eluded him, the stadium was not full in time for the opening whistle.

Once the second half began, with Argentina leading defending champions France 2-0 thanks to a Messi penalty and Angel Di Maria strike, the number of empty seats had increased drastically.

Thousands of seats at the 88,966-capacity stadium were empty, and they did not fill out even as the game progressed.

Here is how social-media users reacted:

‘Embarrassing’: World Cup final plays out in front of thousands of empty seats

World Cup final reaction LIVE

14:00 , Ben Burrows

Football doesn’t always do fairytales. Just ask Harry Kane or Kevin De Bruyne or Cristiano Ronaldo or any of the star players who didn’t get the ending they wanted at the World Cup. But for the greatest of all, the story played out even sweeter than surely he could ever have planned.

In what he said would be his last match on the biggest stage in the sport, Lionel Messi emphatically delivered and finally, at the fifth and final time of asking, won the one trophy he wanted more than any other.

Full article here:

Editor’s letter: Football’s greatest player gets his fairytale ending

World Cup final reaction LIVE

13:40 , Sports Staff

The World Cup concluded in thrilling fashion on Sunday with Argentina’s penalty shootout win against France in the final, and there is little time to draw breath before domestic leagues in Europe and South America return to action.

Here is a look at when some of the World Cup’s star players could be performing for their clubs again:

When can we expect to see World Cup stars back with their clubs?

World Cup final reaction LIVE

13:20 , Sports Staff

Lionel Messi has said he is not ready to call time on his international career after Argentina’s victory over France in the World Cup 2022 final.

In the build-up to the competition, it was widely thought that the Qatar tournament could be the Paris Saint-Germain star’s last in an Argentina shirt.

However, Messi told Argentinian TV station TyC Sports: “I love football, it’s what I do. I enjoy being in the national team and want to continue by experiencing a few more games as a world champion.”

More here:

Messi not ready to retire from international football after World Cup win

World Cup final reaction LIVE

13:00 , Sports Staff

Here is a look at some of the breakout stars of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar:

World Cup 2022: A closer look at the breakout stars including Bellingham and Gakpo

World Cup final reaction LIVE

12:45 , Alex Pattle

Lionel Messi has shared photos of himself ‘waking up’ with the World Cup trophy, two days after he led Argentina to their first world title in 36 years with a penalty shootout win against France.

The captain posted three photos of him in bed with the iconic trophy on Tuesday, along with the caption, “Buen dia (good morning)!” and a smiley face emoji.

Messi lifted the trophy in Qatar on Sunday after failing to go the distance at four previous editions of the World Cup.

The 35-year-old had come closest to winning the tournament in 2014, when Argentina lost the final 1-0 to Germany in extra time in Brazil. But Messi finally went one better last week, scoring twice in a 3-3 draw with France that was then decided by spot kicks.

Messi scored in the shootout as Argentina claimed their first world title since 1986, when Diego Maradona guided the nation to glory. The 2022 World Cup was the first edition of the tournament to take place since the Argentine icon died in 2020.

World Cup final reaction LIVE

12:40 , Sports Staff

A black robe worn by Argentina captain Lionel Messi was given to him as a “mark of honour” as he lifted the World Cup trophy in Qatar.

The bisht – a thin see-through traditional Arab cloak – was placed on Messi by the Emir of Qatar before he joined his euphoric teammates as they celebrated their nail-biting victory over France.

Some viewers and broadcasters, unfamiliar with the garment and its significance, were left baffled but an academic explained that it was Qatar’s way of honouring Messi.

Dr Mustafa Baig, a lecturer in Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter, told the PA news agency that the bisht is a formal robe worn by royalty, dignitaries, grooms on their wedding day, and graduates at graduation ceremonies.

“So only a select few people would actually wear the bisht,” he said.

More here:

The meaning behind the robe given to Lionel Messi at the World Cup

World Cup final reaction LIVE

12:20 , Lawrence Ostlere

Angel Di Maria’s influence on Lionel Messi’s path to the moment he lifted the World Cup trophy should not be forgotten. He is an essential part of the story.

Messi’s 35-year journey started on the streets of Rosario and saw him ascend to a place where only the footballing gods reside, carried on the wings of Angel.

Full article here:

Why Angel Di Maria is an essential part of The Lionel Messi Story

World Cup final reaction LIVE

12:00 , Lawrence Ostlere

Emiliano Martinez, world champion. That might have seemed far-fetched four years ago when he sat in the stands as just another Argentinian fan in Russia, watching France win 4-3 in an epic World Cup knockout game.

There Martinez had told his brother sitting next to him that he would be playing in the next World Cup. It was ambitious to say the least. He was then 25, a back-up at Getafe on his sixth loan from Arsenal; another followed at Reading where his status rose, before an unlikely opportunity opened at Arsenal when Bernd Leno suffered a freak injury.

By 2021 he was Argentina’s No 1 goalkeeper. Soon he was Copa America champion, his saves vital in denying Richarlison and others at the end of a tense final at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana, the place where Lionel Messi and co had lost the World Cup final in 2014. Martinez was at the heart of their salvation.

Now he has beaten France in the greatest World Cup final of all time – and by extension perhaps the greatest football match. It is some story, some rise.

Full article here:

Emi Martinez: The grit and the git who won Argentina the World Cup

World Cup final reaction LIVE

11:40 , Richard Jolly

It was the World Cup of Lionel. The World Cup-winning captain who got the golden ball and the man of the match in five of his seven appearances, the player who scored in every knockout round, with a brace in the final, and the footballer who, for many, sealed his case to be deemed the greatest ever.

But also the other Lionel. The quiet man of Argentinian football, the facilitator of Lionel Messi’s dreams, the caretaker who became a World Cup winner. Lionel Scaloni is the first World Cup-winning manager who has been managed by Alan Pardew. It was probably not the secret of his success but, after securing Argentina’s first Copa America in 28 years, he now has their first World Cup for 36. He stands alongside Cesar Luis Menotti and Carlos Bilardo, though a modest figure argued: “I am not at their level yet.”

Perhaps it is because it will take time for him to get used to the idea of Scaloni being a World Cup winner.

Full article here:

Lionel Scaloni: The caretaker who became a World Cup winner

World Cup final reaction LIVE

11:20 , Jamie Braidwood

It was Lionel Messi’s day, it was Lionel Messi’s World Cup, but for more than a moment it looked to have been Kylian Mbappe’s. There is no debate that the Lusail Stadium staged the greatest World Cup final in history and, while the outcome was determined and decided by its biggest names, it was a match where its momentum and very spirit was shaken and influenced by so much more.

The illusion is thinking there was order to the chaos. At first it was Angel Di Maria and a masterstroke from Lionel Scaloni. And then it was Randal Kolo Muani and Marcus Thuram, thrown on out of desperation by Didier Deschamps. Argentina had been inspired but France responded. Then, when France had control of the World Cup and sensed history, Argentina found Emiliano Martinez and, from nowhere, Gonzalo Montiel.

This is Argentina’s World Cup, but this was a final that belongs to those who wrote its drama.

Full article here:

How the chaos of the greatest ever World Cup final unfolded

World Cup final reaction LIVE

11:00 , Alex Pattle

Lionel Messi and his Argentina teammates celebrated their 2022 World Cup victory by singing, “I don’t care what the f*****g journalists say,” in front of the media in Qatar.

Argentina won the World Cup for a third time — and first since 1986 — when they defeated France on penalties in a thrilling final on Sunday.

And, after receiving the trophy, the squad moved their celebrations from the dressing room to the mixed zone, which is an area of the stadium where journalists wait to interview players.

There the Argentina squad sang: “Support the national team, support them to the death because I love Argentina, because it’s an emotion I carry in my heart. And I don’t care what those f*****g journalists say!”

More here:

Argentina sing ‘I don’t care what the f*****g journalists say’ in front of media

World Cup final reaction LIVE

10:40 , Richard Jolly

The best World Cup ever, Gianni Infantino had said. It turned out Fifa’s propagandist of a president was merely missing a word. The best World Cup final ever? The case grew stronger as the game grew more illogical, more credibility-defying, more dramatic.

Twice Argentina thought they had won the World Cup 2022. France’s responses – two goals in two minutes of mayhem, a further one in the 118th minute – amounted to the greatest comeback in World Cup final history.

Gonzalo Montiel came off the bench, first cost Argentina the trophy by conceding a penalty and then earned them it by scoring one in the shootout. If the journey from villain to hero was swift, it transpired some of an extraordinary evening’s heroics were in vain.

Here’s a look at Kylian Mbappe’s remarkable World Cup final performance:

Mbappe produces most memorable fightback only to earn the most inglorious despair

World Cup final reaction LIVE

10:20 , Mark Critchley

A 13-year-old Lionel Messi once gave a Q&A interview while he was still playing for the youth teams at Newell’s Old Boys. Speaking to Diario La Capital, a local newspaper in Rosario, he revealed that if he could eat any meal, it would be pollo con salsa (chicken). If he could date any model, it would be Argentine television personality Nicole Neumann. If he could watch any film, it would be 1994 adventure comedy Baby’s Day Out. And if he could do any job, he would be a PE teacher.

Earlier this week, a grainy scanned copy of that interview went semi-viral across social media. You might have seen it, in fact. The story was picked up by several news websites and content platforms. It was one of the most “upvoted” posts on the r/soccer subreddit, no less. It was shared and reshared, ripped and aggregated, recycled and regurgitated until we had all had our fill of it, in the way that every new and previously undetected morsel about Messi is.

That is the challenge that Messi has posed to this profession since first declaring his genius: what else is there to say that has not already been said?

Full article here:

There is finally something new to say about Lionel Messi, World Cup winner

World Cup final reaction LIVE

10:00 , Miguel Delaney

It was a moment that Lionel Messi had imagined all his life, and he has long had pictures of it in his head, they just might not have looked much like this.

As the Argentina captain at last went to lift the World Cup itself, his team’s crest wasn’t visible, and you could barely see the famous blue and white stripes.

That was already unprecedented for a moment of such symbolism that teams often insist on changing into their home shirts if they play in the away colours. It was exactly what Spain did in 2010.

That iconic shirt wasn’t really visible on Messi, though, because he was wearing a bisht. It’s a garment that Middle Eastern dignitaries wear over a thawb on formal occasions, as a mark of special achievement.

It should immediately be acknowledged that this could have been quite a beautiful thing. It’s just impossible to separate it from the complicated context. Messi was given the bisht by Qatar’s autocratic ruler, for the moment of maximum visibility that goes down in history, at the climax of a competition this autocracy has been using for political purposes. That is inherently political, to say the very least.

Full article here:

Qatar’s billions get the picture they paid for

World Cup final reaction LIVE

09:40 , Alex Pattle

Karim Benzema has strongly suggested that he will retire from international football following France’s defeat by Argentina in the World Cup final.

The winner of the Ballon d’Or played no part in the World Cup in Qatar after he was ruled out due to an injury picked up in training one day before the tournament.

The 35-year-old striker, who has won 97 international caps for France and sits fifth on their all-time scorers list with 37 goals, also played no part in their 2018 World Cup victory.

Here’s what the Real Madrid man had to say:

‘I’ve written my story’: Karim Benzema hints at international retirement from France

World Cup final reaction LIVE

09:30 , Alex Pattle

In his first message published on Instagram and Twitter following Sunday’s defeat by Argentina, France forward Kylian Mbappe posted a photo of himself, head down, behind the World Cup trophy with the message: “We will be back.”

More than 24 million people — eight out of 10 viewers — watched the final on French TF1 television, a record high.

In 2018, Mbappe – then aged 19 – became the youngest goalscorer in a World Cup final since Pele when he struck in the 4-2 win against Croatia.

The Paris Saint-Germain star then scored a hat-trick in this year’s final, taking his overall World Cup goals total to 12 (the same as Pele), becoming the second ever hat-trick scorer in the tournament’s final (Geoff Hurst was the other in 1966) and the first player ever to net four goals in World Cup finals.

Mbappe also claimed the Qatar World Cup’s Golden Boot with eight goals at the tournament, more than any other player.

World Cup final reaction LIVE

09:20 , Sports Staff

Argentines let loose on Sunday and streets across the country became places of celebration after an epic World Cup final in which the national team beat France on penalties.

It was the country’s third World Cup title, and the first since 1986.

“I’m very happy, we really deserved this. The team suffered quite a bit, but it recovered as time went on,” said Josefina Villalba, a 55-year-old nanny who joined hundreds of fans at one of the many public plazas where giant screens were set up to watch the long-awaited match.

Millions of Argentines cried, yelled and hugged as they followed the game, which was a rollercoaster of emotions.

“I feel an immense happiness in my heart because this is the first World Cup I truly enjoy,” Hector Quinteros, a 34-year-old security guard, said as his eyes welled up with tears. “This always happens. They always make us suffer.”

More reactions here:

‘The people needed this’: Argentines put problems aside to celebrate World Cup win

World Cup final reaction LIVE

09:05 , Alex Pattle

Thousands of fans in central Paris cheered the arrival home of a France team that lost one of the greatest World Cup finals.

Kylian Mbappe and teammates landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport just after 8pm. local time on Monday and descended from the plane in a somber mood.

Smiling airport staff members holding signs that said “Thank you” and “Paris loves you” were passed without acknowledgement by the team.

Looking tired and still visibly disappointed by their loss to Argentina in a penalty shootout in Qatar, the players boarded buses that took them to greet the hordes of excited fans waiting for them at Place de la Concorde. There, the team’s mood brightened.

In contrast with 2018 when France won the World Cup in Russia, the team did not receive a parade on the Champs-Elysees.

Full story here:

Thousands welcome France home after World Cup heartbreak

World Cup final reaction LIVE

08:53 , Alex Pattle

Lionel Messi inspired Argentina to World Cup glory and has now “reached eternity”.

That was the reaction from La Nacion in Argentina, with the media back home delirious after a third world title secured in Qatar following the absorbing final in Doha, which finished with a penalty shoot-out win over France.

The newspaper adds that Messi “touched the sky in Qatar” and that they and everybody associated with the Albiceleste went “through all the states of mind”.

“Campeones del Mundo” naturally proliferated many of the websites and front pages, while Olé used the play on words for ‘god’ in Spanish, hailing Messi with their headline reading: “Lios is Argentine”.

More here:

‘Messi reaches eternity’: Argentine newspapers react to Argentina’s World Cup glory

World Cup final reaction LIVE

08:43 , Alex Pattle

Thousands of fans lined up in the middle of the night to try to get a glimpse of the Argentina squad that won one of the greatest World Cup finals of all time, ahead of a day of celebrations in Buenos Aires.

Members of the team, led by captain Lionel Messi, were all smiles as they descended from the plane in Ezeiza, right outside Argentina’s capital, shortly before 3 a.m. Tuesday onto a red carpet that had been rolled out for the squad.

Messi was the first player from the plane carrying the World Cup, flanked by coach Lionel Scaloni, who put his arm around the captain as they walked past a sign that read, “Thank you, champions.”

Full story here:

Lionel Messi and Argentina welcomed home by huge crowds after World Cup win

World Cup final reaction LIVE

08:30 , Alex Pattle

Lionel Messi and his Argentina teammates have returned to their home country after ending the nation’s 36-year wait for a World Cup trophy.

Messi scored twice against France, but Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe netted a hat-trick as Sunday’s final in Qatar ended 3-3 after extra time.

What was surely the greatest final in World Cup history was then decided on penalties, as Gonzalo Montiel scored the winning spot kick before Messi lifted the trophy that had eluded him for so long.

Argentina have now returned home, while France striker Karim Benzema – who missed the tournament through injury – has hinted that his time with the national team is done.

Follow all the reaction to the final and the World Cup as a whole in our live blog, right here.