The biggest retirement from the beautiful game since Pele’s farewell in 1970. Messi finally wins a World Cup and leaves the stage – passing the torch to Mbappe, his PSG teammate. The beautiful game proved once again why it deserves so much better than FIFA and Qatar. Football (and Argentina) won again.
Mbappe will be back. At 23, the world of football is at his feet – pun intended. Thanks Messi – for keeping the game safe despite the machinations of those who would kill it with corruption and greed.
A perfect summation of that final. It wasn’t just a trophy; it felt like a vindication of the sport itself against everything people criticized about the tournament. That image of Messi lifting the cup while Mbappe stood by really was the literal changing of the guard. We’ve been discussing the legacy of these players and the evolution of the game over at MLS NEWS ONLINE (https://www.soccernewsus.com/) quite a bit, and your take on the ‘machinations of corruption’ vs. the ‘beautiful game’ is spot on. Thanks for capturing that sentiment so well.”