Few would’ve begrudged Lionel Messi for, in the words of Peter Drury, “conquering his final peak” and riding off into the sunset.
A unified Argentina team rallied around the all-time great in Qatar to ensure he captured the crown that his career deserves. Messi produced one of the finest individual World Cup campaigns in 2022, inspiring La Albiceleste to their first global conquest since Diego Maradona dominated in Mexico 36 years before.