Lionel Messi will not retire immediately from international football after finally capping an extraordinary career with Argentina’s first World Cup since 1986, preferring to soak up the glory for at least a while longer.
On a dizzying night in Lusail it seemed more than once that Messi could be denied the fulfilment of a lifelong dream at the fifth attempt. But he added to his two goals and virtuoso all-round performance in regulation time with a penalty during a successful shootout against France and afterwards confirmed his 172nd cap was not his last.
