After 36 years, Argentina won their third World Cup by beating France 4-2 on penalties.
The 35-year-old Messi played his 26th game in the World Cup, breaking German footballer Lothar Matthaus’s record. With his 18th FIFA World Cup captaincy, Messi broke Rafael Márquez's (Mexico) record.
The match was decided in a penalty shootout where Argentina won the match 4– 2. This is the third time in the history of the World Cup that the decision has been taken through a penalty shootout.
With this victory, the Argentine team became the World Champion for the third time and Messi became the second captain after Diego Maradona to win the World Cup for Argentina.
It is noteworthy that by becoming the world champion for the third time, Argentina has ended the drought of 36 years. Earlier, Argentina won the title in 1978 and 1986.
Apart from this, Argentina has also been the runner-up three times (1930, 1990, 2014). At the same time, this defeat broke France's dream of becoming the world champion for the second time in a row. France's team also became the champion in 1998 and 2018.
