6 Jude Bellingham of England UEFA SPAIN 14.07.24 UEFA EURO 2024 FINAL 10 10
7 Contents At Last 6 The Cup Gets Underway 11 DAVID KNOCKS OFF GOLIATH 12 WHAT'S IN A NAME 15 THE HAND OF GOD 16 Bravo Brazil 17 BRAZILIAN BEATDOWN 22 Revenge and Return TOP GUN 23 25 To 2026 and Beyond 27 A TIP OF THE HAT 29 World Cup Winners 31 Index 32
AFA Lionel Messi of Argentina celebrates after winning the 2022 World Cup in Qatar 10 8
0 3 At Last Lionel Messi of Argentina burst onto the soccer scene while still a teenager Since then he has won more than 40 team trophies He was named the world's best soccer player eight times He has scored more than 850 career goals But there was one thing lacking in Messi's stellar career He had never won the World Cup The World Cup is almost certainly the most prestigious prestigious athletic award in the world More than a billion people around the world watch the final match on TV Four times Messi came up short 2006 2010 2014 and 2018 In 2022 Argentina faced France in the final Messi opened the scoring in the 23rd minute on a penalty kick Argentina's Ángel Di María scored 13 minutes later for a 2 lead Late in the second half French superstar Kylian Mbappé scored twice in a minute and a half to tie the score Messi put Argentina ahead in extra time as he volleyed in a rebound that the French goalkeeper couldn't control Mbappé scored his third goal not long afterward to tie the score at 3 For the third time in World Cup history the championship game came down to penalty kicks Both Messi and Mbappé began with scores But Argentina converted its next three while holding France to one Messi finally had his World Cup win FIFA WORLD CUP 9
