“The best f*****g picture in football” – Ex-Barcelona forward hails Lionel Messi as ‘greatest’ after iconic image from World Cup final emerges
Former Barcelona player Gerard Deulofeu has hailed his ex-teammate Lionel Messi as the 'greatest player of all time' while sharing a picture of the Argentine kissing the 2022 FIFA World Cup trophy.
The Albiceleste beat France 4-2 on penalties on Sunday (December 18) to become champions for the third time as Messi marked his final appearance in the competition by winning the ultimate prize.
The 35-year-old scored twice in the game as Argentina and France played out a pulsating 3-3 draw after 120 minutes. The PSG star then converted his penalty in the shootouts too.
Tributes poured in for Messi from all quarters, including from one of his former teammates Deulofeu, with whom he played a few times at Barcelona.
Deulofeu via IG: "Kiss it, Leo. The best f*cking picture in football. The greatest player off all time has been crowned." https://t.co/8VmMCyPIkM
The Spaniard shared the now-iconic image of Messi kissing the FIFA World Cup trophy with the Golden Ball in hand and captioned it:
"Kiss it, Leo. The best f*cking picture in football. The greatest player of all time has been crowned."
Like he was all tournament, Lionel Messi was on fire in the final too, scoring twice - a penalty in regulation time and a close-range finish in extra time. If that wasn't enough, he successfully buried his penalty in the shootouts, leading Argentina on their way to a win once more.
Messi was later crowned the Man of the Match and the 2022 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot winner for being the best player in the tournament.
Lionel Messi officially the 'GOAT'?
Having now completed his trophy cabinet with the World Cup, many have declared Lionel Messi as the undisputed greatest player of all time.
The former Barcelona ace has had a terrific career for both club and country. He has won 36 titles with Barcelona and PSG and numerous individual honours, including seven Ballon d'Ors. Messi has also won three titles with Argentina, all in the last 18 months.
LIONEL MESSI HAS COMPLETED FOOTBALL 🐐 https://t.co/IvDeNtckee
There was a notion that, for despite his accomplishments, Messi had to win the FIFA World Cup to claim the 'greatest of all time' honour outright. Last night, he ticked that too, leading Argentina to their third triumph in the competition, ending a 36-year wait.
Surely there's no debate anymore?