Argentina win World Cup LIVE REACTION: Wild celebrations as Messi and Co return home – latest
LIONEL MESSI and Argentina have returned home to Buenos Aires with the World Cup trophy to wild celebrations.
The thrilling final went down to pure shoot-out drama with both Kylian Mbappe and Messi scoring.
Kylian Mbappe had completed his hat-trick in extra-time to send a sensational final into penalties after Messi had put Argentina back in front.
An injury saw Karim Benzema miss out on the entire competition and he has since confirmed his retirement from international football.
- Result: Argentina 3-3 France (Argentina win 4-2 on pens)
- Argentina: Player ratings
- France: Player ratings
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Fans hail France stars at Paris hotel
France stars put a brave face on their World Cup final pain as they went on their hotel balcony in Paris to acknowledge a heroes' welcome home by thousands of fans.
But Kylian Mbappe still couldn't raise a smile as he waved to flag-waving supporters following an historic hat-trick that couldn't prevent Argentina lifting the trophy.
Credit: AFP Antoine Griezmann, one of the players of the tournament, managed a beaming grin.
And boss Didier Deschamps also produced a rueful half-smile.
Olivier Giroud, who was was subbed before half-time, and Aurelien Tchouameni were also snapped on the balcony applauding fans.
Argentina's 4-2 victory on penalties after a 3-3 draw denied France and Deschamps two successive World Cup triumphs.
Credit: Getty Bukayo only England player in best XI
Notoriously harsh football critics L’Equipe have named England star Bukayo Saka in the World Cup Team of the Tournament… and only gave one player above a SEVEN.
Arsenal ace Saka was one of England‘s shining lights in their World Cup campaign, scoring three goals in their run to the quarter-finals.
Only one player was given above a SEVEN and it wasn’t World Cup-winning captain Lionel Messi, instead Kylian Mbappe.
Kyl the mood
Kylian Mbappe and Co returned to France following their World Cup final defeat to Argentina.
And the squad understandably appeared to be in glum spirits after their efforts in a heroic comeback were undone in a dramatic shootout.
The French had found themselves 2-0 down until a late penalty boosted them into life.
Paris Saint-Germain star Mbappe netted a three-minute brace to drag the game into extra-time before becoming just the second player to ever score a hat-trick in a World Cup final.
However, he was unable to do anymore as his nation lost out on penalties to Lionel Messi's Argentina.
And a day later Didier Deschamps' unlucky Les Bleus arrived back home to a hero's welcome. Thousands gathered at Place de la Concorde in Paris to give well wishes to the beaten finalists.
Had France won the Jules Rimet they would have become the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back World Cups.
France boss Deschamps would have also become the first manager ever to win it back-to-back. He appeared to be in a better mood than his compatriots as he was spotted smiling on the runway.
Utd and Arsenal gear up for Thur de France
Manchester United have reportedly joined Arsenal and Tottenham in eyeing France striker Marcus Thuram.
Bild even say Borussia Moenchengladbach are looking at potential replacements for the 25-year-old, who came on late in the first half during Argentina's World Cup final triumph on Sunday.
It's thought United are unsure whether spend big on a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo in January - with a loan signing regarded as a strong possibility.
That might be a boost for the Gunners if they decide to bid for Thuram.
Punter wins £240k after cashing out on France
A gambling genius has won £240,000 - after cashing out his seven-team accumulator moments before France's World Cup final defeat.
American Daniel Forte had backed Les Bleus to lift the trophy as part of a £21 bet he placed in March.
Forte correctly forecast Manchester City would win the Premier League.
He also tipped AC Milan to win Serie A, and Los Angeles FC to lift the MLS Cup.
Other spot-on selections included Golden State Warriors to win the NBA finals, Colorado Avalanche to win Ice Hockey's Stanley Cup and Kansas to win the NCAA basketball tournament.
Forte stood to win 557,770 dollars - £457,738 - if France completed the final leg of his acca with odds of 21,453-1.
But in an inspired decision, he opted to cash out for $283,583 - £240,000 - just hours before Didier Deschamps' men lost on penalties to Argentina.
Which is a result that would have left the Nevada-based punter with nothing.
Forte said: "Thank God I cashed out. I'd be leaving on a stretcher with a heart attack otherwise.
"There was a lot of thought and a lot of talking to my family.
"We decided to take the £283K cashout, and change my life."
Fans puzzled by Aguero's smoke and winners
Sergio Aguero joined in the jubilant celebrations as Argentina lifted the World Cup, but fans spotted something rather peculiar.
The former Manchester City ace posted a photo in the dressing room with the World Cup trophy in hand while smoking a cigar.
However, fans noticed he had turned around his ID badge and they were left convinced he did so in order to claim it as a World Cup medal.
One user said: "Can’t stop laughing at how he turned his ID badge around so it looks like a medal 😭"
A second user said: "Aguero turned his ID badge around so it looks like a medal. He thinks we can’t see him 😭."
A third said: "Aguero turnt over his id badge so it looks like a medal☠️"
"Shameless 😭😭," said another.
Aguero was not in the Argentina squad after retiring from football in late 2021.
It came after he was diagnosed with heart condition cardiac arrhythmia.
Despite this, it did not stop the 34-year-old from donning a full Argentina kit as he joined the on-pitch celebrations.
Messi gains 21m more Instagram followers
World Cup winner Lionel Messi's Instagram following soared 20million as stars in Qatar picked up an extra 210m in total.
But despite his problems at club and international level, Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo remains the king online, boosted by a near 19m rise to 519m.
Kylian Mbappe's final hat-trick for beaten France against Argentina helped his following rise from 73.5m to 83m.
And Richarlison led a string of big increases for Premier League players.
Brazil's Tottenham striker saw his backing swell from 17.3m to 19.6m. And Manchester United's Brazilian winger Antony went from 6.2m to 9.3m.
But as a World Cup winner, Aston Villa's Argentina keeper Emiliano Martinez might be disappointed to 'only' jump from 4.3m to 7.5m
compiled the list, with spectacular percentage leaps coming from South Korea's Cho Gue-Sung (8773%), Richarlison (167%) and Argentina duo Julian Alvarez (136%) and Enzo Fernandez (353%)
An extra million followers pulls in £3,000 in social media post sponsorships, so Messi’s heroics earned him an additional £63,000 from the tournament. The PSG attacker, 35, can now demand £1,194,707 in fees for just one Instagram post.
Brazil stay No1 in rankings
Kylian Mbappe hat-trick denied Argentina top spot in the Fifa rankings – despite their World Cup final shoot-out joy.
Mbappe’s late second penalty earned France a 3-3 draw after extra time – enough to keep Brazil at No1 in the list.
That won’t be any consolation to the history-making striker as Lionel Messi inspired Argentina’s ultimate triumph in one of the greatest ever finals, clinched 4-2 on penalties.
And for now it won’t mean much either to Brazil, who are still smarting from their shock quarter-final shoot-out loss to Croatia.
Meanwhile, England remain in fifth spot following their agonising last-eight exit to the French and Wales drop out of the top 20.
Qatar kings Argentina moved up to second in the rankings, with France rising to third and Belgium’s ageing golden generation dropping two places to fourth following their surprise exit at the group stage.
PSG to open Messi talks
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has confirmed he will start talking to Lionel Messi about a contract extension.
The 35-year-old superstar helped guide Argentina to their third World Cup trophy on Sunday night.
The thrilling final ended with a penalty shootout victory over France, following a 3-3 draw.
And as Messi and his team-mates jet back to Buenos Aires with the trophy, his club chief has announced some more good news.
PSG big boss Al-Khelafi was asked if he would tie down both the ex-Barcelona forward and final loser Kylian Mbappe.
He told : “Keep Mbappe and Messi? Of course, one is the top scorer and the other is best player in the World Cup. “
Messi’s contract expires at the end of this season.
He will go back to the Ligue 1 champions after a short Christmas break.
Saka named in best World Cup XI
Notoriously harsh football critics L’Equipe have named England star Bukayo Saka in the World Cup Team of the Tournament… and only gave one player above a SEVEN.
Arsenal ace Saka was one of England‘s shining lights in their World Cup campaign, scoring three goals in their run to the quarter-finals.
Only one player was given above a SEVEN and it wasn’t World Cup-winning captain Lionel Messi, instead Kylian Mbappe.
Cheeky Schweinstiger
Former Manchester United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger left presenter Esther Sedlaczek flustered with a flirty comment at the end of the World Cup final.
The 38-year-old offered his expertise to German TV channel ARD during the tournament.
Sedlaczek said: “Basti, we’ve come to the end of it. That’s it for us. It was a lot of fun with you. Thank for that.”
The ex-Manchester United man then joked: “Thank you Esther, it was a lot of fun. Now we’re going on vacation together for two weeks, right?”
A surprised Sedlaczek initially responded “Yes, of course” before quickly correcting herself and saying: “No, no, no. Of course we don’t!”
She then pointed out: “Have fun with your family. And you have the last words in the studio.”
Schweinsteiger is married to retired Serbian tennis star and ex-world No1 Ana Ivanovic.
Argentina throw all-nighter
Argentina’s World Cup-winning stars partied all through the night after their iconic victory on Sunday night.
The players in the squad were loving every minute of the celebrations after the game as they partied in the dressing room and then took the jubilant scenes elsewhere.
A number of Instagram stories were shared by the players from the likes of Paulo Dybala and keeper hero Emi Martinez.
Dybala posted a video showing them all sitting together eating a “romantic” dinner.
The camera then pans upwards and the World Cup trophy can be seen on show in the middle of them.
Martinez then shared some snaps of his own as his team-mates relaxed with some games of pool and FIFA.
Lautaro Martinez was one of the players chilling alongside the Villa shot-stopper with the duo among those donning a pair of sunglasses.
Deschamps explains subs
Didier Deschamps has revealed why he controversially made a double substitution before halftime in the World Cup final.
The France manager hooked both Olivier Giroud and Ousmane Dembele after seeing his side go two goals down to Argentina.
The duo were replaced by Marcus Thuram and Randal Kolo Muani.
Deschamps said: "If we had been 3-0 down, we couldn’t have complained.
"We didn’t do the right things for an hour, but then with a lot of courage, energy and quality, we pushed Argentina to the limit.
"If I made those changes so early, it’s because I was not satisfied and I felt convinced we could do better.
"That doesn’t mean the players who went off were more guilty than the others."
Martinez consoles Varane
Man Utd fans hailed the relationship between centre-backs Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane after they embraced following an epic World Cup final.
Martinez, who plays alongside Varane for Man Utd, was one of the first players to console the ex-Real Madrid man on the pitch after full-time.
The pair could be seen hugging it out as they waited to be awarded their respective medals.
Varane once again cuddled Martinez before going up to receive his runners-up medal.
Reacting on social media, one person said: "Another hug, you can tell there's a partnership and great deal of respect there.
Messi vs Maradona
Lionel Messi cemented himself further as a footballing legend by becoming the first Argentine to lift the World Cup since Diego Maradona.
The PSG superstar helped end his nation's agonising 36 year wait to bring the gold home.
Afterwards, he recreated the famous shot of his idol Maradona lofting the trophy in the air.
The pair of left-footed icons are among the greatest sports stars to ever live, boasting almost unmatched records.
Flying High
Lionel Messi and his Argentina team-mates were pictures of happiness as they jetted back to Buenos Aires with the World Cup trophy.
Messi has seldom let the trophy leave his side in the last few hours, so much so he griped it tightly on Argentina's flight back to Buenos Aires.
The 35-year-old posted a picture of himself holding the trophy on the plane to his Instagram on Monday afternoon.
Lisandro Martinez and Angel Di Maria posed with the famous trophy.
Benzema retires from international duty
Karim Benzema has announced his retirement from international football.
The Real Madrid star made the cryptic reveal a day after France's World Cup final loss to Lionel Messi's Argentina.
Benzema, 35, tweeted: "I made the effort and the mistakes it took to be where I am today and I'm proud of it!
"I have written my story and ours is ending."
Benzema was named in Didier Deschamps' 26-man squad that looked to defend the World Cup in Qatar.
But a thigh injury ruled him out, although Deschamps never replaced the forward.
France players suffer racist abuse
Kingsley Coman, Randal Kolo-Muani and Aurelien Tchouameni were all subjected to racial abuse following France's World Cup final defeat to Argentina.
Vile racists targeted the trio on social media immediately after the shootout.
The disgusting trolls left a string of monkey and banana emojis on the trio's accounts and a number of derogatory comments.
The string of comments prompted Tchouameni and Kolo-Muani to briefly disable their accounts.
The duo eventually reactivated them - albeit with moderated comments.
The disgusting abuse dished out to Coman, Kolo-Muani and Tchouameni was not too dissimilar to that received by England stars Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka.
Inside Argentina's party
Argentina's World Cup-winning stars partied all through the night after their iconic victory on Sunday night.
The players in the squad were loving every minute of the celebrations after the game as they partied in the dressing room and then took the jubilant scenes elsewhere.
A number of Instagram stories were shared by the players from the likes of Paulo Dybala and keeper hero Emi Martinez.
Dybala posted a video showing them all sitting together eating a "romantic" dinner.
The camera then pans upwards and the World Cup trophy can be seen on show in the middle of them.
Martinez then shared some snaps of his own as his team-mates relaxed with some games of pool and FIFA.
Lautaro Martinez was one of the players chilling alongside the Villa shot-stopper with the duo among those donning a pair of sunglasses.
PSG want to keep Mbappe and Messi
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has revealed the club have no intention of selling Kylian Mbappe or Lionel Messi.
Al-Khelaifi told : “We want to keep both Leo Messi and Mbappe, of course — they’re the best players and the best goalscorers of the World Cup.
“I won’t say more about Messi as we have a plan to discuss after the World Cup.”
There have been reports linking Messi with a return to Barcelona and Inter Miami.
As for Mbappe, Real Madrid continue to be keen.
L'Equipe's 'harsh' best XI
Notoriously tough football critics L’Equipe have named England star Bukayo Saka in the World Cup Team of the Tournament... and only gave one player above a SEVEN.
Only one player was given above a SEVEN and it wasn't World Cup-winning captain Lionel Messi, instead Kylian Mbappe
Saka rated at 6.5 and Moroccan star Sofyan Amrabat, one of the best players in Qatar, got just a 6.28.
Not so S-Mart
Emi Martinez has been slammed by Chris Sutton for his “despicable” behaviour in Argentina’s World Cup final win over France.
He managed to overshadow the moment by performing a crude gesture in front of millions glued to their TV screen.
Later on, Martinez mocked hat-trick hero Kylian Mbappe by demanding a minute’s silence for the “dead’ France star in Argentina’s dressing room.
Yet his most controversial moment came while still on the pitch.
After saving Coman’s penalty, Martinez then proceeded to play some elaborate mind games on Aurelian Tchouameni.
As the Real Madrid star prepared for his kick, Martinez unsportingly threw the ball away, forcing Tchouameni to wait longer at the spot.
And when the time came for the penalty, the midfielder inevitably blasted his effort wide of the post, prompting Martinez to perform a dance in front of Argentina supporters.
Sutton called his actions "despicable" and "totally unnecessary", he also said he felt sorry for Tchouameni.
Martinez on X-rated celebration
Argentina penalty shootout hero Emiliano Martinez has lifted the lid on his X-rated celebration with the Golden Glove trophy.
The stopper was presented with the Golden Glove award for the best goalkeeper of the tournament during the trophy ceremony.
The 30-year-old held the award in front of his privates while leaning back and pulling an odd face.
He told Argentinian broadcaster : "I did it because the French booed me.
"I can't relate to their arrogance."
Salt Bae 'pesters' Messi
Salt Bae has been slammed for his “pathetic” pestering of Lionel Messi to get a selfie and touching the World Cup after Argentina’s win.
The celebrity chef, whose real name is Nusret Gökçe, somehow got himself in among the winning team and managed to get selfie with Lionel Messi as he celebrated his team's triumph.
But in the run up, he was seen badgering the superstar and repeatedly grabbing his arm until the player relented and posed for a picture.
The chef was slammed on Twitter as for his attention seeking antics, which were also described as the “cringiest thing ever”.
Brighton plan to keep Mac Allister
After his World Cup heroics for Argentina, there is a growing list of clubs wanting Alexis Mac Allister.
However, Brighton are hoping he stays on the South Coast.
CEO Paul Barber told : “I sent him a message last night not expecting a reply, but when I woke up this morning there was a reply, thanking me and thanking the club. That’s the type of person Alexis is.
“We are very aware that if any of our players or staff do well they will attract interest from bigger clubs and wealthy clubs, we are very conscious of that.
“But we want to keep Alexis here as long as we can, he’s a very important part of the team.”