Lionel Messi wore a traditional Arabic cloak as he lifted Argentina's first World Cup in 36 years.
Argentina secured their first World title since 1986 after a thrilling penalty shootout victory over France, despite the efforts of Kylian Mbappe.
An early penalty from the seven-time Ballon D'or winner and Angel Di Maria strike saw the Albiceleste race into a two-goal lead. It seemed as though that would be that for Messi and manager Lionel Scaloni to make history, however, that was before Mbappe fired a 97-second brace in the final moments of regulation time.
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The former Barcelona star thought he had finally won the contest for his nation with a late effort in the second half of extra-time but that was before his Paris Saint-Germain team-mate, Mbappe, restored parity from the penalty spot in the 118th minute and ensured penalties would decide the outcome of the 22nd World Cup finals.
But the 35-year-old would eventually get his hands on the showpiece trophy that has eluded him for so long after a 4-2 penalty shootout victory, in which he scored Argentina's first.
Upon being presented with the trophy by FIFA president Gianni Infantino and the Emir of Qatar, Messi was dressed in a Bisht. The body veil is a traditional Arabic cloak that has been worn by males for many thousands of years, with the Qatari official handing the Argentina captain one with gold trimmings.
Online, there was further controversy around the action as it was viewed by many as the latest step of Qatar's sportswashing quest, having received heavy criticism for the country's policies since being awarded the competition in December 2010.
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