In the words of announcer Peter Drury, Lionel Messi had "conquered his final peak" in Qatar. It was almost too perfect for the all-time great to bid farewell, having thrust his legacy into a realm comparable with any sporting hero.
Nothing will ever top Diego Maradona in ’86, but Messi ran his ’pibe’ predecessor close in the Gulf. Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina functioned for the sole purpose of lifting its talisman to his crowning glory, with Messi notching 10 goal contributions, including two in the staggeringly cinematic finale, on his way to the Golden Ball.
