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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Dan Marsh

Sergio Aguero forgot about Lionel Messi World Cup bet which pocketed him £7,000

Argentina icon Sergio Aguero banked just under £7000 after backing Lionel Messi to win the Golden Ball award at the World Cup - but ended up forgetting all about the bet.

The former Manchester City star, who was forced to retire last December after doctors discovered a cardiac arrhythmia, was watching on at the Lusail Stadium as Messi inspired Argentina to their first World Cup triumph since 1986. Lionel Scaloni's side dethroned France on penalties following a frenetic finale which finished 3-3 c ourtesy of some mind games from Emiliano Martinez in the shootout.

Aguero was in the thick of the celebrations on the pitch and was even given the chance to lift the coveted World Cup trophy before La Albiceleste continued the party in their dressing room.

Scaloni's men have continued to enjoy the fallout of their triumph with an open-top bus parade in Buenos Aires - but Aguero broke away from the celebrations briefly to share his winning wager on social media.

The 34-year-old revealed that he had placed a bet of $1001 (£823) on Messi to be crowned as the player of the tournament at the World Cup. Aguero pocketed a cool $8264 (£6,800) after Messi was handed the coveted accolade on Sunday - even if he did initially forget all about it.

In a social media post, Aguero shared a picture of the winning bet along with a caption that translates as: "On 11/17/2022 (November 17) I bet that the best player in the World Cup would be Messi and I just realised it."

Messi, who was undoubtedly the tournament's standout player, came close to landing the Golden Boot award, too. The 35-year-old plundered a remarkable seven goals and registered three assists throughout the course of the tournament but was pipped to the award by Kylian Mbappe after the French forward bagged a sensational hat-trick in the final.

Join the debate! Who do you think was the best player at the 2022 World Cup? Let us know here.

Sergio Aguero won almost £7000 after backing Lionel Messi to win the Golden Ball award at the World Cup (Instagram: kunaguero)
Aguero celebrated with Messi and the World Cup trophy after the match (Getty Images)

Argentina's talisman, who paid tribute to the late, great Diego Maradona in an emotional Instagram post on Tuesday, was in the thick of the celebrations as the squad paraded the World Cup trophy during a bus parade in Buenos Aires.

La Albiceleste were greeted by more than four million ecstatic fans in the capital just two days after their stunning triumph in the Middle East.

The players gathered at the Argentina Football Association's headquarters in Ezeiza before travelling through the capital - although the celebrations were marred by two individuals who attempted to jump onto the team's open-top bus.

The incident meant that the open-top parade was cut short, with the team instead flown above the crowds by two Argentine Navy helicopters.

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