In Lusail, Messi won the one trophy that was missing from his cabinet - the WC
The debate is over. The long discussion on who is the best: Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? This debate is surely over.
There is no doubt whatsoever now that Messi is the best among these two, and perhaps he has sealed his name as the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT) as well.
Carrying Argentina to World Cup glory leading from the front in every aspect confirms that, and Messi has buried all the doubts or debates or any confusion regarding his supremacy in this era.
Now he is surely playing the game on the same level as Pele and Diego Maradona in the race for the GOAT, and probably even greater than them.
If you ask any soul in this planet who is the best footballer ever, two names simultaneously pop up. And they are Pele and Maradona.
Now the third name will come automatically. It's Messi and probably his name will be ahead of these two absolute legends.
The absence of a World Cup winners' medal has long been a topic of argument as to why Messi does not rank above Pele or Maradona in football's absolute legendary level.
But with Argentina's victory over France in Sunday's breathtaking World Cup final in Doha, the debate against the 35-year old magician has now surely ended.
Comparing the achievements in club level, Messi is way ahead of both Pele and Maradona.
Year after year, season after season he produced magic hundreds of times on the football pitch.
Countless nights he has produced jaw-dropping performances in club level for Barcelona. But success was not coming in the international level.
Few losses in Copa America final raised the debate that he is not on the same level of Maradona.
His critics always pointed out that Maradona led the Albiceleste to the World Cup trophy in 1986 with sublime performance and later single-handedly won Serie A for Napoli in club level.
Compared to that, what did Messi do for Argentina? Such questions were murmured even until last year.
Messi won the Copa for Argentina last year, beating arch-rivals Brazil, and now he has hunted down the ultimate trophy in football, the World Cup, by defeating defending champions France in probably the best ever football match in the greatest show on earth.
In Doha, football God gifted the ultimate trophy to the most prodigiously talented player of this era.
Is there any cup missing from Messi trophy cabinet now? No.
In a glittering career that has spanned for almost three decades, Messi has won 37 club trophies, seven Ballon d'Or awards and six European Golden Boots.
Even in the age of 35, Messi won the Golden Ball award by scoring seven goals, providing three assists and securing five man-of-the-match award in seven games. What a staggering performance by the Argentine talisman.
With one Copa America trophy and having carried the nation to the World Cup final twice, and winning once, what else does a player need to establish himself as GOAT?
And if anyone deserves the trophy the most, then it is undoubtedly him. He has given a lot to football.
He has given happiness to hundreds of millions of fans all over the world in more than a decade. Now football in this era seems complete. His near-perfect career is also perfect now.
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