KEY POINTS

  • Argentina defeated France in the final on penalties
  • Messi netted 7 goals and 3 assists in the tournament
  • It was Argentina's first World Cup win since 1986

Lionel Messi-led Argentina arrived in Buenos Aires in the early hours of Tuesday to celebrate their World Cup triumph with their countrymen.

A smiling Messi came out of the aircraft holding the coveted World Cup trophy, which he finally got to lift on his fifth attempt. Argentina Football Association (AFA) president Claudio Tapia was also spotted leaving the plane along with Messi.

The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star was one of the stand-out performers for Argentina as they defeated France in the 2022 World Cup final.

The Argentinian team traveled on an open-top bus from the airport to the Ezeiza camp, their federation's training center, where they'll rest and leave for the parade in the morning.

It was earlier reported that Argentina has declared Tuesday a bank holiday so that every single citizen can celebrate their country's triumph in the World Cup. It was Argentina's third World Cup title and their first since the 1986 victory under Diego Maradona.

Messi and the team will celebrate their triumph Tuesday in Buenos Aires at the Obelisk, a monument that is the traditional epicenter of sporting celebrations, the federation announced. A national holiday has been declared so that the entire country "can express their deepest joy for the national team."

Earlier, Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni had revealed a motivation chat he had with Messi after the side had qualified for the World Cup.

Two of a kind: Lionel Messi has finally emulated Argentina legend Diego Maradona by winning the World Cup
AFP

Scaloni, who entered the 2022 World Cup as the youngest coach, admitted that he had been having doubts back in 2021 after a 0-0 draw with Brazil that sealed his team's place at World Cup 2022, but a conversation with Messi helped give him a much-needed lift.

"I'm going to tell you something, about a chat I had with him in San Juan, after drawing 0-0 with Brazil. I felt that what was going to come was going to be difficult and that the disappointment could be strong. So, before he went back to Paris, I sat down to talk to Messi. I raised the issue with him and he told me 'we'll continue because it's probably going to go well and if it doesn't then at least we'll have tried'. That gave me a boost," said Scaloni in an interview.

The 2022-23 campaign will resume soon with Messi's PSG set to return to action on Dec. 28 by taking on Strasbourg in Ligue 1.