Lionel Messi fulfilled his life-long dream as he guided Argentina to the World Cup title after an exhilarating final against France at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar on Sunday.
After one of the greatest finals in the history of football, the winners were decided by a penalty shootout as the match finished 2-2 in regular and 3-3 after extra time.
Kylian Mbappe put in a monumental effort, scoring a hat-trick to keep France's hopes alive. But Argentina kept their cool in the penalty shoot out, while Kingsley Coman saw his penalty saved and Aurelien Tchouameni missed the target to hand the South Americans the world title.
Messi, 35, was overcome with emotions as he scored twice to win the first World Cup of his glittering career.
"Obviously I wanted to finish my career with this. I can't ask for any more," Messi told Argentine television.
"My career is coming to end because these are my final years. What more could there be after this?"
But he said he would continue with the Argentina squad. "I want to keep experiencing a few more matches as world champion."
The epic final was witnessed by nearly 90,000 fans at the Lusail Stadium and by billions across the world, especially after the broadcasters decided to show the final for free on YouTube and free-to-air channels.
For their effort, Argentina took home the World Cup trophy and a hefty winners' cheque.
What is the prize money?
Fifa set aside a total prize pool of $440 million for the World Cup 2022. The breakdown is as follows:
Champions (Argentina): $42 million
Runners-up (France): $30 million
Third place (Croatia): $27 million
Fourth place (Morocco): $25 million
Fifth-eighth place: $68 million ($17 million per team)
Ninth-16th place: $104 million ($13 million per team)
17th-32nd place: $144 million ($9 million per team)
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WORLD CUP 2022 TOP SCORERS: =5) Cody Gakpo (Netherlands): Three goals in five games. Minutes per goal: 151. Total shots: three. AFP -
=5) Richarlison (Brazil): Three goals in four games. Minutes per goal: 109. Total shots: Five. EPA -
=5) Bukayo Saka (England): Three goals in four games. Minutes per goal: 98. Total shots: Seven. EPA -
=5) Enner Valencia (Ecuador): Three goals in three games. Minutes per goal: 85. Total shots: Four. AFP -
=5) Marcus Rashford (England): Three goals in five games. Minutes per goal: 46. Total shots: Nine. AFP -
=5) Alvaro Morata (Spain): Three goals in four games. Minutes per goal: 61. Total shots: Eight. Getty -
=5) Goncalo Ramos (Portugal): Three goals in four games. Minutes per goal: 51. Total shots: Seven. Reuters -
=3) Julian Alvarez (Argentina): Four goals in seven games. Minutes per goal: 117. Total shots: Nine. Reuters -
=3) Olivier Giroud (France): Four goals in six games. Minutes per goal: 0.85. Total shots: 15. AP -
2) Lionel Messi (Argentina): Seven goals in seven games. Minutes per goal: 99. Total shots: 29. AP -
1) Kylian Mbappe (France): Eight goals in seven games. Minutes per goal: 75. Total shots: 21. Getty
Is the prize money more than last time?
This year, the prize money has increased substantially. In 2018, winners France took home $38m for their triumph, while runners-up Croatia received $28m.
The total prize pool for 2018 was $400m.
Who won the top awards at Qatar 2022?
Messi won the Golden Ball for the best player at this year's World Cup after leading Argentina to victory in the final.
Mbappe came second to Messi for that award but did win the Golden Boot for the tournament's top scorer with eight goals, one ahead of the Argentina captain.
Argentina's Emiliano Martinez took the Golden Glove for the World Cup's best goalkeeper, while his compatriot Enzo Fernandez, 21, was named the best young player.
