Lionel Messi finally wins World Cup title as Argentina beats France in thriller

Lionel Messi went to the crowd.

He waved to the supporters in blue and white, smiling like a child before the Argentine staff and his teammates came over to hug him, tears in their eyes.

It was never going to be easy. But it’s hard to imagine a more epic fashion for Messi to win his first World Cup.

Gonzalo Montiel had the ultimate piece of redemption, hitting the winning penalty into the bottom left corner after giving away a penalty at the end of extra time to allow France to tie the game. Immediately, Montiel covered his eyes with his shirt, in tears.

So were most of his teammates.

Argentina are atop the world again, World Cup champions for the first time since 1986, defeating the defending champion France 4-3 in a coronation that became a classic. And just like in Mexico City, this tournament will go down in history for an all-time player stating his case to be the best ever.