The 2022 World Cup came to a conclusion with an absolutely riveting Final matchup between Argentina and France. Two of the best players in the game, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, went toe-to-toe with a chance to win the biggest trophy in the soccer world. And after a thrilling contest, it was Messi and the Argentinians who came out on top.
It seemed like Messi and Argentina were going to cruise to a 2-0 win, but Mbappe flipped the game on its head late in the second half when he scored a pair of goals in 93 seconds to turn a 2-0 game into a 2-2 tie. Both Messi and Mbappe scored again in the second half of extra time, but Argentina finally was able to put the game to rest in the penalty shootout with a 4-2 win.
It's clear that this game meant a lot for Messi and Argentina, as this was the final piece of hardware the star forward needed to add to his extensive trophy cabinet. And now that he has a World Cup victory under his belt, it's clear that Messi has cemented his status as the GOAT in the world of soccer.
Lionel Messi's World Cup victory solidifies his GOAT status
Heading into the 2022 World Cup, it was already tough to ignore Messi in the GOAT conversation in the soccer world. Messi is in the 19th season of his career, and he has been impactful from the second he took the pitch with FC Barcelona back in 2004. Messi was just 17 when he made his debut with Barcelona, and while it took him some time to carve out a solid starting role, once he did, there was no looking back.
With Messi leading the way, Barcelona were nearly invincible in Spain's top flight league, the La Liga. Messi spent 17 seasons with Barcelona, and ended up winning the La Liga with them in ten of those seasons. Considering the competition they faced from other top clubs, such as Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, that cannot be taken for granted.
Messi also has made his mark felt outside of the La Liga, as he has won four UEFA Champions League trophies throughout his career. The Champions League is considered the most competitive European soccer tournament in the world, and Messi led Barcelona to Champions League wins in 2009, 2011, and 2015, while also winning the trophy in 2006 despite not playing in the game.
When you put it all together, Messi won 35 different trophies during his time with Barcelona, which is a club-record. Messi also was ridiculously efficient during his time there, scoring 672 goals and assisting 291 more in 780 appearances for the club. You don't even have to do the math to tell that Messi found a way to be involved in at least one goal per game for FC Barcelona.
Messi is currently playing in the France Ligue 1 with PSG, and has still remained as prolific as ever. Messi has also been the key for Argentina's national squad during his career, scoring 98 goals and assisting 53 over 172 appearances. When you put it all together, it's clear that Messi has been a strong scorer whenever he's taken the field.
Messi has won pretty much everything you can throughout his career, including the World Cup now. There isn't a player in the modern era of soccer who has accomplished what he has accomplished. It's tough to compare generations of soccer, but it's become increasingly tough to produce at the rate that Messi is producing at.
When compared to Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi now has an achievement in winning the World Cup that Ronaldo simply doesn't have. Messi has fairly similar accomplishments to Ronaldo on the club level, but he's two years younger than Ronaldo, and given Ronaldo's current club situation, it's clear Messi will pass Ronaldo by the time the two are done playing.
When you compare Messi to older-school GOATS such as Pele, it's tough because Pele played against much lower competition than Messi. Messi is continually playing at a high-level well into his thirties against the best players in the world. Pele was otherworldly throughout his career, but he did most of his damage in Brazil with Santos. The competition in the Brasileirao has never really compared to that in the top European leagues, which is where Messi has spent his entire career.
Winning the World Cup was the last thing Messi had to do in his already legendary career. There isn't anything left he has to accomplish, and there aren't many other soccer players who can say that. Accomplishing that in the modern era of soccer is wildly impressive, and for that reason, Lionel Messi has to be regarded as the GOAT in the soccer world now.
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