Lionel Messi has shared an image of him sleeping with the World Cup trophy following on from Argentina’s remarkable final victory over France.
The Argentine superstar netted twice in the encounter and also finding the net during the tense penalty shootout at the end of the game. The Paris Saint-Germain forward broke multiple records in the final on his way to finally getting his hands on the trophy that had previously eluded him during his career.
Messi had appeared to suggest that this year’s World Cup would be his final edition of the tournament ahead of leading the South American nation to their first title since 1986, winning the FIFA Golden Ball award for best player in the competition.
The 35-year-old subsequently confirmed that he was not going to hang up his boots for Argentina after winning the tournament but would not address claims he may play in another World Cup – where he has now played more games (26) than any other player.
Messi led Argentina to the Copa America title last year – their first major trophy in three decades – but the pain of missing out on the World Cup title had continued over the years as it had been the one trophy that had eluded him, until now.
The 35-year-old has now uploaded a photo onto Instagram of him sleeping in bed next to the trophy in the latest iconic image following on from Sunday’s final. Messi wrote the caption alongside the photo: “Good morning!” alongside the emoji of a big smile.
Have Your Say! Does Argentina’s World Cup success cement Messi’s status as the world’s greatest ever footballer? Tell us what you think here.
It comes after Argentina’s triumphant return home following their World Cup win nearly turning into disaster during the open-top bus parade. Messi and his teammates landed at Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires shortly after 2am local time on Tuesday. Thousands of fans were waiting for them, lining the streets to get a glimpse at the World Cup trophy.
Messi was sitting at the back of the top deck of the bus as it made its way through streets packed with fans, with the star alongside teammates Leandro Paredes, Rodrigo De Paul, Angel Di Maria and Nicolas Otamendi.
The bus passed underneath an overhead cable and nearly collided with the star players, who had to move quickly to avoid sustaining potentially nasty injuries. All the players ducked to avoid the cable, although the hat that Paredes was wearing came off in the incident – showing how a serious accident was narrowly averted.
A huge party will take place, centred around Buenos Aires’ famous Obelisk monument. More than a million people turned out on Sunday night to toast the players after their remarkable triumph, with parades and events planned throughout the week to celebrate the victory.
