On Sunday, after Argentina won the World Cup, a robe was put on Lionel Messi, and he then lifted the trophy. This made Messi, who was the best player in the tournament, feel uncomfortable.
The robe, called a bisht, is usually worn for important events like weddings or religious festivals. It was given to Messi by the Emir of Qatar, who was cheered on by FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Bishts have been worn on special occasions in the Arab world for a very long time. Bishts are thought of as very formal clothes. People in the West have compared them to black tie, but they are also associated with power because they were often worn by royalty, officials, and clergy. In the western world, “black tie” means “dressy clothes.”
When Argentina’s captain finally won the World Cup, Messi did so while wearing a long black robe that partially covered his shirt. The rest of his teammates stayed in their playing uniforms. This was a strange sight.
Messi took off the robe after a while and was seen celebrating the win while wearing a shirt with three stars from Argentina. Each star stood for one of Argentina’s three World Cup victories.
One tweet said that a number of people thought the bisht was made so that the Qatari government could use it as a tool for public relations.
[An] Arab robe on Messi lifting the trophy. Symbolic. A way to stamp culture on what will be one of the most iconic images ever.
Another tweet read,
Messi finally wins the World Cup and is made to put on a robe to lift the trophy. You just don’t do that,’ while some felt the Argentine number 10 ‘looked like an emperor’
There were also worries that Argentina might not be invited to the celebrations for no good reason.
It should be a moment for the players, not the host. Grossly indulgent,
one tweet read.
Others agreed, saying that the moment should have been for “him [Messi] and his nation.”
After winning the World Cup in Mexico, Pele was given a sombrero to pose with. This shows that a World Cup winner can be given a piece of local clothing during the celebrations that follow their win. But this is something that doesn’t happen very often.
One supporter said that this was enough proof to not argue with the Bisht in Qatar. They told those who disagreed with them to “live your life and stop whining.”
Another person thought it was a good way to “recognize Messi as the king of football” because the robe is often associated with royalty.
Some people thought that fans shouldn’t think about the robe and instead, they should “enjoy one of the greatest sports moments we’ll ever see.”
Messi’s team won the trophy after a nail-biting championship game against France that ended in a scoreless tie after 120 minutes of play followed by penalties.
Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria each scored a goal in the first half, putting Didier Deschamps’ team two goals behind at halftime. But in the second half, they came back after Kylian Mbappe scored two goals in as many minutes. This gave them a chance to get back in the game.
Messi scored again in the final seconds of the game to put Argentina back in the lead, but Mbappe’s late penalty kept Argentina in the game.
It also made the French star the first person to score a hat trick in a World Cup final since Geoff Hurst in 1966. However, the Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez did a great job during the penalty shootout, so the French star still lost.
The question of whether or not Lionel Messi is the best footballer of all time has been answered for many fans now that he has finally won the World Cup. This was the one big award that Messi had never won in his career.
