Lionel Messi left the World Cup stage for the final time in the most dramatic way possible on Sunday, headlining a lengthy list of global giants bidding farewell to football’s biggest tournament, IgbereTV reports
Messi dazzled in Doha as Argentina beat France 4-2 on penalties at the Lusail Stadium after one of the greatest finals in history finished 3-3, with the diminutive forward scoring twice.
The 35-year-old picked up the Golden Ball for the best player of the World Cup, finishing one goal behind Kylian Mbappe in the race for the Golden Boot.
It was a radically different story in Qatar for Cristiano Ronaldo, who has dominated football for a generation alongside Messi.
The 37-year-old, currently clubless, learned with a jolt that despite his pedigree he is no longer an automatic starter for Portugal, a team he has captained for so long.
Ronaldo headed down the tunnel with tears streaming down his face after the team’s shock 1-0 defeat by Morocco in the quarter-finals, knowing his final chance to win the trophy had gone.
“In the five World Cups I played, always alongside great players and supported by millions of Portuguese, I gave it my all,” he said in an Instagram post.
