Messi was named the best player of the World Cup, finishing the tournament with seven goals and three assists in seven games. He was one of only three Argentine players to play every minute of a match, for a total of 690 minutes after two matches went into extra time. During the tournament, he had 347 assists, five interceptions and 32 shots on goal. His Argentina teammate Emiliano Martinez won the 2022 men’s best goalkeeper award. Meanwhile, manager Lionel Scaloni was named best men’s coach.
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Messi was accompanied at the ceremony by his wife Antonela Roccuzzo, while his children stayed home. After receiving the award, Messi addressed a funny message to his children, which left everyone delighted. He said: Winning the World Cup is the most beautiful thing that has happened in my career. It’s a dream for many, but few can win it. I want to thank my family, the people of Argentina, because it will always be in our memory. I want to kiss my children who are watching this, Thiago, Mateo and Ciro, I love you. Now go to bed!
This is a great honor for me. I want to thank my colleagues, including my manager Scaloni, we represent them all here, as without them we wouldn’t be here. It’s a recognition of the role they played in what they accomplished. It’s been a crazy year for me. I achieved my dream, after fighting so many battles and trying so hard to win it, he added.
Here’s the video: https://twitter.com/ImVidd/status/1630325420598996993
Messi just told his kids “it’s time to go to sleep” 😂 the best pic.twitter.com/PMpsauJ1Jf
— Vid (@ImVidd) February 27, 2023
Argentina defeated France 4-2 on penalties in the final, after the match ended in a 3-3 draw after extra time. In a tense final, the CONMEBOL team took its first lead in the 23rd minute thanks to captain Messi, who converted a penalty after Angel Di Maria fouled in the French penalty area. Then, in a quick counterattack in the 36th minute, Alexis McAllister assisted Di Maria to make the score 2-0.
Argentina won easily, but Kylian Mbappe came to the aid of France and countered. Mbappe equalized within 97 seconds, scoring a penalty in the 80th minute after Kolo Mooney was brought down in the Argentine penalty box. Then in the 81st minute, Mbappe made the score 2-2 with a stunning strike.
In additionMessi made the score 3-2 in favor of Argentina in the 108th minute, scoring a goal after poor defense. But Mbappe again came to the rescue of his team.save in the 118th minute, making the score 3:3. In a nerve-racking penalty shootout, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez rose to the occasion, fending off shots from Aurélien Tchouameni and Kingsley Coman to give Argentina a 4-2 victory.
