Just like Diego Maradona before him, Lionel Messi led Argentina to the summit of world football.
Messi lifted his country to its third World Cup title Sunday after a truly remarkable final against France, scoring once in normal time, once in extra time, and then converting his penalty in Argentina's 4-2 shootout win.
The match finished 3-3 after 120 chaotic minutes. The celebrations that unfolded, with Messi hoisting the iconic trophy for the first time, were fitting of the emotional expenditure from a truly remarkable day in Qatar.
Here are the best images from an unforgettable victory:
Champion of the world
Sergio Aguero got in on the fun
Emiliano Martinez, forever a character
Rodrigo De Paul earned that cigar
Tears of joy
This is what it's all about
Shades of Maradona in '86
Messi's son is enamored
The party is on in Buenos Aires
That's all she wrote, folks
