On this day three years ago, the world witnessed one of the most memorable World Cup finals in history.
On December 18, 2022, Lionel Messi’s Argentina national team became world champions in Qatar after defeating Kylian Mbappe’s France in a nail-biting penalty shootout. Today, Leo remembered that feat in Lusail.
Messi remembered the 2022 World Cup
Despite becoming champions at the end of the tournament, Argentina did not start the tournament in the best way. Lionel Messi and company lost their first match against Saudi Arabia (1-2) and lost their winning streak of 36 games without defeat.
In the second game, if Argentina lost again, they would be eliminated from the World Cup. Facing Mexico, the Albiceleste sealed their first victory of the tournament with a 2-0 win. They closed out the group stage with another victory against Robert Lewandowski’s Poland, where Alexis Mac Allister and Julián Álvarez were the executioners of their rivals, leaving the match 2-0.
Then, Australia fell to Leo Messi and company 2-1, and in a thrilling match, the Netherlands and Argentina ended up in a penalty shootout (3-4) after tying 2-2.
After beating Croatia 3-0 in the semifinals, they faced France in the agonizing grand final. After a 3-3 draw in 120 minutes, the match had to be decided on penalties. Emiliano Martínez shone in goal, the Albiceleste prevailed from 11 meters, and took the title in Qatar (4-2).
Now, three years after that match, Lionel Messi shared a story on his official Instagram account to remember that moment. Along with his own post from that day, Leo wrote: “3 years of the 3 [star emoji].“
This post is also the most liked post in Instagram history, with more than 74.7 million hearts.
Now, all eyes are on the new edition of the World Cup in 2026. The tournament will take place from June 11 to July 19 in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, and the Albiceleste will defend their title.
Meanwhile, following the draw held on December 5 at the John F. Kennedy Center, it was revealed that Argentina will be in Group J alongside Algeria, Austria, and Jordan. Despite this, Messi has not confirmed his presence at the World Cup, although he said he would like to participate but that his decision will depend on his physical condition. Will Leo be there?
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