Football smiled upon Argentine star Lionel Messi for the first time in finals with his national team, granting him the most precious title of his career as he lifted the World Cup in his final appearance in the tournament. Lionel led his country to glory by scoring two goals in the final and converting a penalty after a draw in both regular and extra time. The moment that caught everyone's attention was the seemingly impossible kiss that Messi gave to the golden World Cup before the official presentation, symbolizing his long-standing desire to embrace the trophy.
**The Last Dance**
Famous American writer George R.R. Martin wrote a successful novel titled "A Dance with Dragons," marking the end of an era in his fantasy world. In the World Cup final, Messi wrote his own story titled "The Last Dance," marking the end of Lionel's chapter in the World Cup.
Messi will not appear in the World Cup again, so he wished to fulfill his last dream in football before bidding farewell to the greatest tournament in the history of the sport.
Previously, Messi had never scored in any final with his national team, failing to score in the 2014 World Cup final and in several Copa America finals, making it a burden. In what may be Messi's last final with Argentina, amid increasing speculation about his international retirement and subsequent absence from the Copa America, Lionel finally scored, and he did it twice.
Lionel raised his World Cup tally to 7 goals; however, Kylian Mbappé snatched the Golden Boot from him by scoring a hat trick in the final to increase his total to 8 goals. Messi's last dance brought him closer to becoming the all-time World Cup top scorer, reaching his 13th goal in the tournament, leaving him just 3 goals shy of the German leader Miroslav Klose.
