Lionel Messi equalled Cristiano Ronaldo's tally of major international honours on Wednesday night after guiding Argentina to victory in the Finalissima.
The showpiece clash - which pits the champions of South America and Europe against one another - took place at Wembley, with Argentina running out 3-0 winners over Italy. Messi bagged a brace of assists in the win, with Lautaro Martinez, Angel di Maria and Paulo Dybala all finding the net for Lionel Scaloni's side.
Wednesday night's match marks just the third time that the winners of the European championship and the Copa America have met; Argentina won the most recent meeting back in 1993 when they bested Denmark in a penalty shootout.
The result that means that Messi - who is set to lead Argentina in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar later this year - has now matched Ronaldo's haul of major international accolades after he helped Argentina end their 18-year trophy drought with Copa America glory last July.
The 34-year-old's long-term Portuguese rival has won both the Euros and the Nations League for his country, but is unable to add a World title to his resume after Portugal failed to qualify for the World Cup.
Although Messi has finally tasted success on the international stage, it's been a difficult 12 months for the Argentina icon. Winning both the Copa America and the Finalissima has coincided with his domestic struggles in Paris, where he has flattered to deceive since leaving Barcelona.
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The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner mustered just 11 goals in his debut season at Paris Saint-Germain and has come under from the French media and the club's fans for his underwhelming impact at the Parc des Princes.
But speaking before Wednesday night's match, Messi told Argentine outlet TyC Sports that adapting to life away from Barcelona had been "a shock". Messi said: “It was really difficult to understand what happened, I wasn’t expecting to leave Barcelona - it was a shock”.
"I had everything in Barcelona. I left when I was very young. What's more: I lived more in Barcelona than in Argentina. The truth is that I had no plans to change anything. Luckily, the children's adaptation was spectacular. For Antonella and me it was more difficult."
But while he admitted that the shock of leaving Barcelona had impacted him in a major way, Messi backed himself to return to form next season. He added: “Next season will be way better for me with Paris Saint-Germain, I’m sure. It was not easy after that crazy summer.”
