Lionel Messi lifted the 2022 FIFA World Cup trophy in Qatar’s royal garment, and has reversed his decision to retire after the World Cup win.
Lionel Messi finally won the most coveted football trophy in the world after five consecutive appearances in the tournament. He crowned his heroic football career with the World Cup trophy.
Football has finally done justice to one of the greatest stars ever known in the round leather game. Lionel Messi settled the score with France and was ready to lift the World Cup trophy before another tongue-wagging moment greeted the scene.
After greeting FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Argentina captain was given a black robe as a mark of honour before he lifted the World Cup trophy in Qatar last night.
He was dressed in a robe, popularly called ‘bisht.’ While ‘Bisht’ must have ignited the curiosity of football fans, it is a culturally-significant garment won in the Qatari society.
According to Arab News, Bisht is a traditional men’s cloak popular in the Arab countries and is made of camel hair and goat wool. It is worn in the Arab world by royalty, dignitaries and grooms on special occasions like weddings, festivals, graduations and Eid.
When Lionel Messi was about to lift the World Cup trophy he was dressed in the garment by Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
The garment covered a portion of Messi’s Argentina jersey, including the national badge. The robe reflected the culture of the host country Qatar, who were also celebrating their National Day on the day of the World Cup final. Gianni Infantino could be seen brimming with smiles after Lionel Messi was dressed in the garment.
According to reports, the ‘bisht’ is a dress for only a select number of people. It denotes class, prestige and honour in the Qatari society.
The emir dressed Lionel Messi in the garment as a mark of honor, a cultural welcoming and acceptance of the legendary football star and, by extension, the football community that have thronged into Qatar for the World Cup.
The gesture also denotes Qatar’s respect and acceptance of the occasion of the 2022 World Cup which was successfully hosted in the Gulf State.
Recall the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was enshrouded in controversies with Western FA’s questioning the rationale to award the hosting right to Qatar given her poor human rights record and belligerent stance on LGBT rights.
However, Qatar has been applauded by most pundits for successfully defying the odds to host the 21-days tournament which climaxed in a grand style.
In a nail-biting match, Argentina defeated two-time champions France 4-2 in penalties in the World Cup final held at Lusail Stadium.
The match was tied 3-3 after extra time, with Lionel Messi scoring twice and France’s Kylian Mbappe scoring a hat-trick.
Lionel Messi reverses decision to retire after World Cup win
Lionel Messi was set to retire from international football after he said the 2022 World final against France will be his last World Cup game.
However, Messi has reversed his decision to retire after winning the World Cup trophy. Speaking in a post-match press conference after the victory, Lionel Messi said;
“No, I’m not going to retire from the Argentina national team. I want to continue playing as a champion,”
Lionel Messi led Argentina to their first World Cup trophy in 36 years after the famous win over France at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar on Sunday, December 18, 2022.
