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LIONEL MESSI has said that Diego Maradona inspired the Argentina team from heaven in an emotional World Cup post on his Instagram page.Messi helped his nation end a 36-year wait to win the tournament and he took to social media posting a clip of him playing football as a kid and the best moments from Qatar.
Lionel Messi lifted the trophy in 2022, just as Diego Maradona did in 1986Credit: AFP
Messi captioned the video, firstly talking about his own career that started 30 years ago, when he was just five-years-old, at local club Grandoli.
The he went on to praise the Argentina team and icon Maradona, who won the World Cup in 1986 in Mexico.
Messi said: “From Grandoli to the World Cup in Qatar, almost 30 years passed.
“It is close to three decades in which football gave me many joys and also some sadness.
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“I always had the dream of being a world champion and I didn’t want to stop trying, even knowing that it might never happen.
“This Cup that we won is also for all those who did not achieve it in the previous World Cups that we played, like in 2014 in Brazil,
“Where everyone deserved it because of how they fought until the very end, how they worked hard and wanted it as much as I did… And we deserved it in the end.
“It is also for Diego [Maradona] who encouraged us from heaven.
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“And for all those who always help the national team without looking at the result, but rather the desire that we always put into it, even when things do not go as we want.
“From the coaching staff to all the people from the national team, some of whom are anonymous working day and night to make it easier for us.
“Many times failure is part of the journey and learning. And without disappointment it is impossible for success to come.
“Thank you very much from the heart! Let’s go Argentina!!!”
Messi fired La Albiceleste to glory with his seven goals in seven games, including two in the final.
Messi also won the player of the tournament award and lifted the World Cup trophy while being held above the rest of the squad – both in similar style to his idol Maradona in ’86.
There have been claims that the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner will retire from international football.
However, it appears he has his eyes on defending his crown in 2026.
Lionel Messi is now widely regarded as the greatest everCredit: Alamy
Messi referenced his first club, Grandoli, in his emotional uploadCredit: Getty More

THE World Cup’s ‘hottest fan’ Ivana Knoll has switched her Croatian colours for black lingerie in a steamy bedroom snap.The model, who has made the headlines by attending all of Croatia’s matches in Qatar in revealing outfits, uploaded the photo to Instagram.
Ivana Knoll wowed fans with her latest upload to her storyCredit: Instagram @knolldoll
She spent the day enjoying Qatar before posting the snapCredit: Instagram @knolldoll
Ivana has grabbed attention from the stands with her attireCredit: Getty
She is a former Miss Croatia winnerCredit: Splash
Ivana cheered on her team at every match they playedCredit: EPA
She has found celebrity statusCredit: Splash
Ivana stripped down to a small bikini and took a full body picture of herself in the mirror.
She wished her followers “good night” in the upload.
The former Miss Croatia winner remains in Doha despite the tournament finishing as she sees the sights in Qatar.
Ivana caught the attention of the world with her unique way of showing her love for Croatia.
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Despite Qatar’s modesty rules, she wore bras, chequered dresses and tight leggings to stadiums, leaving little for her fans to imagine.
Luka Modric and Co’s biggest fan has never feared the local police claiming her dress sense does not hurt anyone.
The red and white costumes became popular with the paparazzi and other supporters as she posed for selfies with them.
Ivana has seen her social media following increase by millions during the World Cup, she now boasts 3.4million followers on Instagram.
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And the Croatian has used her social media to troll other country’s after Zlatko Dalic’s men beat them on route to their third place finish.
Off the back of their win over Brazil, Ivana mocked their dancing goal celebration.
She also trolled supporters of Japan and Belgium due to Croatia’s success against them.
However, she did not get to see her team in the final as they were knocked out by eventual winners Argentina.
Ivana Knoll attended every match in a different outfitCredit: Getty
She caught the eye from the standsCredit: Splash
The model has been dubbed the ‘hottest fan’ of the tournamentCredit: The Mega Agency
Croatia had an excellent World Cup finishing thirdCredit: Getty More

LIONEL MESSI got one over Cristiano Ronaldo again as his World Cup Instagram upload became the most-liked post by a sportsperson in history.And Messi has now broken the ‘The Egg’s’ outright record for the most-liked Instagram post ever.
Lionel Messi has set a new record for most likes with his World Cup Instagram postCredit: Instagram
Messi ‘The Egg’s’ record for most liked Instagram post everCredit: Instagram
Ronaldo’s image of him playing chess with Messi was the previous most-liked post by a sportspersonCredit: Instagram @cristiano
The Argentina ace overhauled a picture of an egg from the account @world_record_egg that somehow has just over 56.1million likes.
Messi’s upload, a collection of photos of himself lifting the World Cup trophy, now has a whopping 57.4m likes.
He originally overtook Ronaldo’s famous snap of the duo playing chess together.
Now ‘The Egg’ is the latest post to be passed by the recently crowned champion of the world.
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Messi, 35, made it a World Cup to remember as he led Argentina to victory in the final against France.
The Paris Saint-Germain star scored twice as the game went to penalties thanks to a hat-trick from Kylian Mbappe.
But it was Messi’s men who emerged victorious to win their first World Cup since 1986.
The result saw Messi nail down his place in the history books as arguably the greatest footballer ever.
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And he now returns to PSG to chase even more silverware, with the oil-rich French side desperate to hand him a new contract.
Messi’s fortunes are in stark contrast to Ronaldo’s, who finds himself without a club after having his Manchester United contract terminated.
Ronnie, 37, dreamed of finding a new Champions League club by leading Portugal to glory in Qatar.
But after being dropped for their final two matches, Ronaldo burst into tears as his country were given their marching orders in the quarters by Morocco.
And Ronaldo now has another reason to weep after Messi smashed his record on Instagram.
Last month he posted a picture showing him and Messi playing a game of chess for a Louis Vuitton photoshoot.
The snap became the most-liked pic by a sportsperson with an incredible 41.9m clicks from fans.
But it has now fallen behind Messi’s latest collection of photos showing him posing with the World Cup country.
As of Tuesday morning, Messi’s post sat on a staggering 57.4m likes.
That saw him storm over 1m likes clear of ‘The Egg’ to take the outright record.
In his now-historic social media post, Messi wrote: “CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD!!!!!!!. So many times I dreamed it, so much I wanted it that I still don’t fall, I can’t believe it…
“Thank you so much to my family, to all who support me and also to all who believed in us.
“We prove once again that Argentinians when we fight together and united we are able to achieve what we aim.
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“The merit is of this group, which is above individuals, is the strength of all fighting for the same dream that was also the one of all Argentinians… 
“We did it!!! LET’S GO ARGENTINA DAMN!!!!!We’re seeing each other very soon.”
Messi led Argentina to World Cup glory on SundayCredit: Getty More

LIONEL MESSI has got one over Cristiano Ronaldo again.That’s because his World Cup Instagram picture has become the most-liked post by a sportsperson in history – overtaking Ronnie’s famous snap of the duo playing chess together.
Lionel Messi has set a new record for most likes with his World Cup Instagram postCredit: Getty
Messi has overtaken Cristiano Ronaldo’s image of them playing chess togetherCredit: Instagram @cristiano
Messi, 35, made it a World Cup to remember as he led Argentina to victory in the final against France.
The Paris Saint-Germain star scored twice as the game went to penalties thanks to a hat-trick from Kylian Mbappe.
But it was Messi’s men who emerged victorious to win their first World Cup since 1986.
The result saw Messi nail down his place in the history books as arguably the greatest footballer ever.
READ MORE ON MESSI
And he now returns to PSG to chase even more silverware, with the oil-rich French side desperate to hand him a new contract.
Messi’s fortunes are in stark contrast to Ronaldo’s, who finds himself without a club after having his Manchester United contract terminated.
Ronnie, 37, dreamed of finding a new Champions League club by leading Portugal to glory in Qatar.
But after being dropped for their final two matches, Ronaldo burst into tears as his country were given their marching orders in the quarters by Morocco.
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And Ronaldo now has another reason to weep after Messi smashed his record on Instagram.
Last month he posted a picture showing him and Messi playing a game of chess for a Louis Vuitton photoshoot.
The snap became the most-liked pic by a sportsperson with an incredible 41.9million clicks from fans.
But it has now fallen behind Messi’s latest collection of photos showing him posing with the World Cup country.
As of Monday afternoon, it sat on a staggering 43.4m likes, just 17 hours after it was published.
And Messi’s post could soon become the most-liked upload in Instagram history, currently held by a picture of an EGG boasting 56.1m likes.
In his now-historic social media post, Messi wrote: “CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD!!!!!!!. So many times I dreamed it, so much I wanted it that I still don’t fall, I can’t believe it…
“Thank you so much to my family, to all who support me and also to all who believed in us.
“We prove once again that Argentinians when we fight together and united we are able to achieve what we aim.
Read More on The Sun
“The merit is of this group, which is above individuals, is the strength of all fighting for the same dream that was also the one of all Argentinians… 
“We did it!!! LET’S GO ARGENTINA DAMN!!!!!We’re seeing each other very soon.” More

KYLIAN MBAPPE’S rumoured girlfriend Rose Bertram stunned at a fashion show in Qatar.Bertram wowed her fans as she wore a red and white football shirt-inspired outfit.
Rose Bertram stunned at a fashion show before the World Cup finalCredit: https://www.instagram.com/rose_bertram/
She is rumoured to be dating France star Kylian MbappeCredit: Getty

Mbappe is set to challenge for his second World Cup winners medalCredit: AP
She shared pictures of the event on Instagram for her 923 thousand followers.
The post showed pictures of the runway and a video of her taking to the walk as well as the packed-out stadium.
It was captioned: “What a beautiful night walking for Qatar Fashion United! Big thank you to Carine Roitfeld, CR Runway and Vladimir Roitfeld.
“It was the biggest fashion show ever.
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“A celebration of fashion, soccer and culture with five continents represented on a single runway and amazing performances during the World Cup”.
Her fans loved her appearance as one commented: “What an amazing experience that must have been”.
A second wrote: “Wow”.
A third added: “Iconic.”
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Her rumoured partner Mbappe is preparing for his second World Cup final which will be against France at the Lusail Stadium.
The PSG star won the tournament in 2018 after beating Croatia in te final when it was held in Russia. More

CRISTIANO RONALDO sent the football world a message as the unattached superstar kept up his fitness in the gym.The Portuguese superstar, 37, is currently a free agent after his contract was mutually terminated at Manchester United last month.
Cristiano Ronaldo posted a shirtless video of himself on his InstagramCredit: https://www.instagram.com/cristiano/?hl=en
The Portugal forward is a free agent after leaving Manchester UnitedCredit: Getty
That followed an explosive interview with Piers Morgan in which Ronaldo slammed United and new manager Erik ten Hag for lacking respect.
Things got no better for Ronaldo at the World Cup as he was dropped for Portugal’s last two games after an alleged row with boss Fernando Santos.
And fans have been speculating the five-time Ballon d’Or winner may now be ready to hang up his boots.
Now Ronaldo appears to have sent a cryptic message to his doubters on his Instagram story.
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The Real Madrid legend, who has 517 million followers, filmed around his gym while shirtless, and focussed on a TV screen playing a Portuguese song.
The lyrics translate to “You don’t know about me. Don’t cry more for me”.

Ronaldo suffered disappointment at the World Cup as Portugal were knocked out in the quarter-final stage by Morocco.
To make matters worse for Ronaldo, it was clear that a passing of the torch was taking place when he was dropped to the bench for their last two games.
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Ronaldo was dropped for the round of 16 clash against Switzerland, where his replacement Goncalo Ramos starred by netting a hat-trick.
He was again left out of the starting line-up against Morocco and was unable to make the difference when he came on as a substitute as his World Cup dream came to an end.
Ronaldo will now be focused on finding a new club to continue his footballing career.
He was believed to have been approached to make a mega-money deal move to Saudi Arabia, but he is yet to accept the deal.
The club in question is Al Nassr and the president has played down reports that conversations have been had with the player.
He had been training with former club Real Madrid, but it seems highly unlikely that the La Liga giants are going to hand him a contract. More