Argentina captain Lionel Messi finally left for Paris in a private jet late on Monday after an extended period celebrating last month's World Cup victory in his home town of Rosario.

Lionel Messi signed off for 2022 by hailing the year when he won the World Cup as one he "will never be able to forget".

Argentina's World Cup-winning captain Lionel Messi bid Brazilian football hero Pele farewell on Instagram Thursday, posting photos of himself and "The King" taken in happier times.

World Cup winner Lionel Messi is set to return to work at Paris Saint-Germain next week, his club coach Christophe Galtier said on Tuesday.

Fans of the Argentine team that claimed football's ultimate prize in Qatar this month are lining up in Buenos Aires for tattoos of victorious captain Lionel Messi and the World Cup trophy.

Normal service is set to resume in France on Wednesday with Kylian Mbappe and Neymar both set to feature for leaders Paris Saint-German as they restart their Ligue 1 season, 45 days after it was popped on ice for the World Cup, with a home game against struggling Strasbourg.

Lionel Messi will celebrate his World Cup triumph by agreeing to stay at Paris Saint-Germain, local media claimed Wednesday, as he attempts to steer the French side to an elusive Champions League title.

Watching Sunday's World Cup final, Ahmed al-Salem was more emotional than most football fans when Qatar's emir placed a black and gold cloak over the shoulders of Argentina's victorious captain Lionel Messi.

Argentina's World Cup-winning captain Lionel Messi has been invited to "eternalize" his mark at Brazil's famous Maracana by leaving his footprints in the iconic stadium's Hall of Fame, the Rio de Janeiro State Sports Superintendence has said.

Lionel Messi broke the record for having the most liked post on Instagram, with over 60.3 million likes at the time of writing.

Drink it all in.

Lionel Messi and his teammates set off for Argentina with the most coveted prize in football as millions of compatriots waited to welcome them home on Monday and catch a glimpse of the World Cup trophy.

Lionel Messi, playing his last ever World Cup match is an everlasting inspiration with how he overcame repeated heartbreaks and obstacles to take the Argentine team to the path of their recent success. If there is one thing that we can learn from Messi, it is to tackle challenges head-on and come out as victors. His redemption story with the national team is a basis of how there is always a stage for a resurgence after you have been down with failures.

After a mesmerising month of upsets, when several brash outsiders threatened soccer's status quo, the World Cup final will have a familiar feel on Sunday when France and Argentina will go toe to toe, each seeking a third title.

Former World Cup winner Jurgen Klinsmann said the tournament in Qatar has shown the need for risk-taking players such as Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi.

As French soccer star Kylian Mbappe gears up for the World Cup final on Sunday in Qatar, the striker's presence is also felt strongly in Bondy, the unassuming satellite city of Paris where he grew up.

In Rosario, the Argentine city where Lionel Messi grew up, hope and excitement are rising that their hometown star can guide the country to a first soccer World Cup since 1986, repeating a trick by one Diego Maradona 36 years ago.

Pre-tournament favourites Argentina stumbled at the first World Cup hurdle before getting their act together to storm into another final, led by their inspirational skipper Lionel Messi who has moved to the top of the tournament's scoring charts.

Here are the top 5 international football players with the most expensive cars in their possessions.

Lionel Messi will have the chance to crown his remarkable career by winning the World Cup after he inspired Argentina to a comfortable 3-0 win against Croatia in the semi-final on Tuesday.