– They managed to spill that moment with Messi’s stupid cape, is the merciless verdict of news commentator Andreas Stabrun Smith after the World Cup final. – I think it ruins the moment, quite clearly. We sat and commented when he received the trophy. I found it uncomfortable. I kept quiet, because I didn’t quite know what to say. It was very unexpected that it happened, says news expert Carl-Erik Torp. The moment they refer to is about what happened after Argentina’s victory over France in Sunday’s World Cup final. As Messi, as captain and system man, prepared to step onto the awards ceremony podium to lift the World Cup trophy, he was presented with a cloak of sorts from Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. – Last bit of sports washing He wore it when he lifted the trophy a short time later, a moment many describe as iconic and will be shown for 100 years to come. – It has been 36 years since the last time. Messi is going to lift the World Cup trophy and then he has a cape that hides the fine suit that has won this trophy for all Argentines. I understand that it is intended as a nice thing, but it is a complete crash. It adds up to a number of things that don’t work out very well, says Torp. The reactions flow in after the incident: – That coat could have been dropped. It would have been a bit more iconic to see Messi lift the trophy only wearing the uniform, writes former VIF player Kjetil Wæhler on Twitter. – Qatar obviously wanted to be present in the pictures of the WC trophy, and therefore put a black “bisht” on Messi, writes Athletic journalist Laurie Whitwell. – All the pictures are destroyed Mark Ogden, who is among England’s most high-profile reporters, is also stumped. – Lionel Messi has spent his entire career waiting to lift the World Cup trophy. When he gets to do that, all the pictures are destroyed by someone who makes him put on a cape that makes it look like he’s going to cut his hair. The cape Lionel Messi wore after the final is causing a stir. Photo: HANNAH MCKAY / Reuters Expert: – Should be an honor Mari Norbakk, who is a postdoctoral fellow at Christian Michelsen’s institute and a social anthropologist specializing in the Middle East and especially Qatar and Egypt, tells news that a “bisht” is a pen coat. – Some of them are terribly expensive and are made of thinly woven material, and sometimes they are decorated with gold embroidery. It should be an honor to receive a “bisht” from the Emir. The intention has probably been to honor Messi, says Norbakk to news. – There are arguments that Qatar coups the show? – I think some of the comments are a bit petty, this is a Qatar show from the beginning, Norbakk points out. Experienced Independent journalist Miguel Delaney nevertheless reacts. – It may suit the hosts, but it is unusual for a World Cup final, and it can simply be described as the last bit of sports washing, writes Delaney on Twitter. – It is certainly not the time to make Messi wear it. This moment should be about Messi, not Qatar. Imagine that someone asked Ronaldo to put on a samurai suit in 2002, writes journalist Nick Harris to his 136,000 followers on Twitter. Who deserved the WC title the most? Argentina France Show result – The worst match he has played Argentina captain Messi was named the World Cup’s best player after Sunday’s final. He finished with a total of seven goals and was very good in a number of games. Messi also won the award in 2014, when Argentina lost the final to Germany. Egil “Drillo” Olsen, who commented on the match on radio for news, believes Messi has delivered better matches than in the final. – This is the worst match he has played so far. He makes a lot of mistakes that I haven’t seen before in the tournament. Overall he has a brilliant tournament and he has been very good throughout. He was in parts of this match as well, but he makes a number of big mistakes that I have not seen him make before, says Drillo. Sunday’s final will go down in the history books as one of the most exciting of all time. – I think this is perhaps the best World Cup final ever. Now I haven’t lived as long as the two on the outside (Åge Hareide and Nils Johan Semb, but what a fantastic final, said news’s Tete Lidbom in the WC studio after the final. – I agree with that, emphasized Semb. – That we have just seen is incredibly special. The World Cup triumph in Qatar is the proud soccer nation’s first World Cup gold since Mexico in 1986. And not least: Lionel Messi (35) has now won the trophy he believes was missing to cement him as the best soccer player of all time. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni is of course very high after the final victory. – The game was absolutely insane. As a coach, I know we had a good game and we could have won after 90 minutes. But anyway, we made a fantastic performance in the game. I have the best feeling ever. It was not in my mind to become world champion, but the most important thing is that we are and how we managed it, he says at the press conference. – We Argentinians are born to suffer. We suffer all our lives, but this moment we will never forget. We deserve down the title. We had to beat the reigning champion, and we did, says Argentina’s Rodrigo de Paul. Former great Gary Neville watched the match for ITV and was completely stunned by what he saw. – If you had said before the game that we would see a hat trick from Mbappé, but that Messi would lift the trophy… As a neutral, I would say that this is the perfect end to the World Cup. But what we have just seen is something incredibly special when it comes to sports and football. Now we get to see a moment that will be shown for 100 years, namely Messi lifting the World Cup trophy, comments Neville.
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– They managed to spill it – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
