Lionel Messi‘s mother Celia Cuccittini was caught on cameras running to hug her son after Argentina beat France 4-2 on penalties, following a dramatic 3-3 draw after extra-time on Sunday in FIFA World Cup 2022 final at Lusail, Qatar. 

Emotions were running high as both the teams had put up an impressive nail-biter of a finish only for Argentina to come out on the top with 

35-year-old Messi finally claiming the much-coveted trophy. 

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Soon after the historic win, the ground was populated with friends and family members of the Argentina team and other football officials, all wanting to congratulate the team, especially Messi. This meant that Messi had to really scan the crowd to get a glimpse of his family members. At one point he seemed to be really looking for someone when an elderly woman came running from behind him and tapped him on the shoulders. 

Messi whipped around and broke into a smile as he recognized his mother and immediately gave her a warm hug. Cuccittini broke into tears as he could not stop beaming with pride at her son’s achievement.

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You can watch the special moment below:

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.

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.