Lionel Messi finally got his hands on the World Cup at the fifth attempt but as he hoisted the famous trophy skyward his blue and white Argentina shirt was obscured by a black and gold cloak.
Moments before Messi’s career-defining moment, he was draped in a ceremonial bisht cloak, usually worn by dignitaries for weddings and formal occasions, by the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The cloak has been worn in the Arab world for thousands of years.
The 35-year-old looked bemused as it was placed around his shoulders and required assistance from the Emir to pull his hands through the sleeves as a grinning Gianni Infantino watched on.
“This is a night for all of Buenos Aires and beyond to savour. A night when the true king of football was finally coronated an emperor,” said BBC commentator Guy Mowbray as the Emir wrapped the bisht around Messi.
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Messi didn’t look too unhappy at the unexpected intrusion, rubbing his hands with glee before being passed the trophy by both the Emir and Infantino and ambling over to join his jubilant teammates on the podium.
Nevertheless, when the time came for the trophy lift, the sight of Messi wearing the garment while the rest of the squad had their match shirts on, looked somewhat bizarre. Shortly after the trophy lift, Messi removed the cloak as the celebrations continued.
“It’s a shame in a way that they’ve covered up Messi in his Argentina shirt do you think Pablo?” Gary Lineker asked Messi’s former international teammate Pablo Zabaleta.
“Just why? There’s no reason to do that,” the former Manchester City right-back responded.
Qatar faced allegations of sportswashing and corruption in the years and months leading up to the World Cup and throughout the tournament. Making Messi wear a bisht in the closing ceremony has been interpreted by some as one final act of sportswashing.
The image of Messi, arguably the greatest footballer in history, lifting the most iconic trophy in the sport, will now forever be linked to Qatar. It will be much harder to forget where Messi was when he finally became a world champion now that the pictures will show him in traditional attire during his crowning moment; never before in the competition’s 92-year history has a player worn an item of clothing synonymous with the nation or region in which the finals have been held.
While it looked incongruous, Messi has become increasingly linked with the Middle East in recent times. In 2021, he joined French club Paris Saint-German, owned by Qatar’s state-run Sports Investment group since 2011, and earlier this year he was confirmed as a tourism ambassador for Qatar’s neighbours Saudi Arabia.
The World Cup was the one trophy missing from Messi’s cabinet and after captaining his side to the final, he stepped up in the showpiece, scoring twice in regulation time and again from the penalty spot in the shootout. Although he missed out on the Golden Boot to PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe after his hat-trick in the final, Messi was crowned the tournament’s best player for the second time.
That individual accolade is the cherry on top of the cake. Messi has finally emulated the late Diego Maradona by winning a World Cup, the third in Argentina’s history and first since 1986.
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