The moment Argentina clinched victory against France on Sunday in the FIFA World Cup final, an emotional Lionel Messi dropped to the ground and tearfully hugged his teammates. 

Kylian Mbappe’s brilliant hat trick in the finals which made him the tournament’s top scorer also dragged Argentina to face a penalty shootout to decide the winner of the tournament. Argentina ended up beating France 4-2 on penalties, following a dramatic 3-3 draw after extra time with Argentina’s Gonzalo Montiel’s delivering the winning strike.

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The 35-year-old was seen standing at the halfway line with his hands on his teammates’ shoulders on either side, uttering a prayer and concentrating on sending positive vibes to Montiel just seconds before the striker took the penalty shot. As soon as the ball hit the net, Messi broke into a smile of relief and sank to his knees. He was seen getting emotional as his teammates also fell to the ground to hug their captain. 

See the historic moment here: 

Soon after, Messi was pictured with close friend and former Argentina striker Sergio Aguero with the pair having their arms wrapped around each other on the pitch. Messi was also seen wiping away his tears.

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This year’s world cup was being touted as extra special for Messi as it was his fifth and final time at the tournament. He has played a record 26 World Cup matches, including the final on Sunday.

Messi ended the tournament with seven goals and three assists. During this tournament, Messi became the first player to assist in five World Cups. He also bettered Gabriel Batistuta’s tally of 10 goals to become the leading scorer in La Albiceleste’s history.

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Despite breaking multiple records in the final and Messi eventually missed out on the Golden Boot to French football star Kylian Mbappe whose stunning hat-trick in the final match attempted to oust Argentina from the tournament.