As soon as he was back in the changing room, away from the glare of the cameras and the eyes of the world, Lionel Messi got rid of it. Messi did not care. He had been given the trophy only a few minutes after Argentina had lost the World Cup final, after the one prize he craved more than any other in soccer had eluded him at the last. He would, he would later say, regret the defeat for the rest of his life. Seven years later, Messi returns to Maracana this weekend.

Source: International New York Times July 09, 2021 12:56 UTC