"It will be a crime if Messi doesn't finish his career without the World Cup," cried some fans in Qatar minutes before Argentina and France face-off in the final of the World Cup. By the end of the penalty shootout, Messi was down in tears and joy, and the whole world witnessed one of the most historic moments in football. 

Lionel Messi finally won the biggest prize in soccer as Argentina beat France 4-2 in a penalty shootout Sunday to claim a third World Cup title despite Kylian Mbappé scoring the first hat trick in a final in 56 years.

Argentina captain Lionel Messi scored twice, and France striker Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick as a thrilling World Cup final finished 3-3 after extra time at the Lusail Stadium.

Even considering the galaxy of legends that came before him and made football the beautiful game that it is, Lionel Messi has evoked comparisons with the best in the way that he is admired by his friends and foes in the game.

His silken feet, magical ball skills, mesmeric dribbles and darting runs into rival boxes have seen him attract a host of prefixes against his name. On Sunday, Messi was, in fact, the 17-year-old magician we witnessed almost 15 years in Camp Nou in Spain. Despite the accolades he amassed, World Cup always eluded him. However, when he walked out of Lusail Stadium in Lusai, Qatar, even his most vocal critic must have applauded him. 

From being nicknamed 'La Pulga' (The Flea) back home in Argentina for his diminutive stature, 'Messiah' to simply the G.O.A.T, Messi has drawn every praise and compliment that there is in the footballing metaverse over the course of a golden career.

With a record 35 titles with Barcelona, a club he represented for the longest time in his career, including 4 Champions League, 10 La Liga and 7 Copa Del Rey titles, his achievements in the game are not human.

Yet, for all his glorious accomplishments, breaking new grounds in the game and rewriting footballing records like few have, there is one frontier that has remained unconquered. The agonising quest to win a major title for his national team has seen him endure many heartbreaking moments.

Images of him slumping to his knees, holding his head in his hands or throwing a blank, rueful stare at the heavens after failing to take Argentina over the line in successive Copa America finals in 2015 and 2016, only served to reinforce the fact that he is, after all, mortal.

While the weight of woe from the failed conquests that he had been carrying on his shoulders was eased somewhat after last year's run to the championship at the Copa America, beating arch-rivals Brazil in their own backyard, Messi's failure to win the World Cup for Argentina in four attempts has stopped him short of matching the success of his idol -- 'El Diego' -- for club and country.

However, in what, in his own words, will be his last dance at the game's biggest and most coveted showpiece event, the boy, who rose from the streets of Rosario to become a veritable footballing demigod, has pulled the ultimate trick. 

Carrying the expectations of a nation desperate for a world title, Messi has single-handedly lifted Argentina to the final after a sobering defeat to Saudi Arabia in their campaign opener. However, Argentina managed to regain momentum and put faith in their star player. On Sunday, in many ways, it was a fairytale end to a truly spectacular footballing career.