There is a reason why football is called – “The Beautiful Game.”
In the finals of the FIFA World Cup 2022, the whole planet was reminded of it again. And for those who were not so new to watching the beautiful game unravel in its mysterious ways, it must have been a treat to watch.
It just had to end this way. There was nothing else that the world would settle for. This was poetic justice unravelling itself.
What stands out about the game is that up till the 80th minute, the match looked all dull and dead with Argentina leading with 2 goals. And that’s when Kylian Mbappe decided to take matters into his own hands. He converted a penalty and then scored just 37 seconds later again to make it 2-2 just inside 97 seconds. Yes, that’s how fast France came back.
And it was 2-2 all over again with the match now dragging everyone to the edge of their seats. And when 90 minutes were not enough, the match was now headed towards extra time.
Lionel Messi in his own words was not so bothered as he believed that it was God at his side who would make him fulfil his childhood dream. And the God on the football pitch made a cheeky effort and finally scored a great goal which seemed enough with so little time left. However, another twist of fate saw France being awarded a penalty which Mbappe happily converted to seal a hat-trick to take the game to penalties.
Martinez was a beast between the sticks and he was one of the key factors as Argentina beat France on penalties to become the World Cup 2022 Winners. This fulfilled Lionel Messi’s dream and the dreams of nearly half the planet who wanted to see the little magician finally get the ultimate glory he deserved.
The game was one of the best football games to be played on the pitch. And a deserving finale for an epic World Cup.
Mbappe a 23-year-old youngster showed us why not giving up has its benefits. And no matter how badly the odds are stacked against you, if you dare to win, you can always find a way.
Messi the 35-year-old veteran showed that age is just a number. If you want something bad enough, you can always get it and the whole world will align with you to make sure you do get it.
There have been a lot of amazing matches this year and a lot of amazing series across multiple sports. But this world cup stood out on its own and left a mark on each and every one of us for ages.
Lionel Messi achieved his childhood dream of winning the World Cup for his country. It was a script written straight from heaven as if Diego Maradonna was himself involved in scripting it. The little boy from Rosario now had the world under his little feet. He has already won 7 Ballon d’Or and some would say he had nothing to prove. But ask him if he would swap all of the other accolades for this World Cup alone.
Football indeed is a beautiful game. And as long as players like Messi & Ronaldo keep coming, it might just keep getting prettier.
