Lionel Messi: Did lucky red ribbon help Argentina win World Cup? | OneFootball

Did a lucky red ribbon help Argentina win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar?

La Albiceleste lifted the prestigious World Cup trophy for the third time in their history, and the first time since 1986, on Sunday evening after defeating France in a classic final.

Argentina were pegged back twice by France’s exceptional forward Kylian Mbappe, who scored a hat-trick, but the South Americans eventually prevailed after winning the penalty shootout.

Victory for Argentina meant Lionel Messi and his teammates became world champions.

In the eyes of many football fans around the world, Messi has now cemented his status as the greatest footballer in history.

Did a lucky red ribbon help Argentina win the World Cup?

But how much of his success does he owe to a red ribbon that a reporter gave to him in 2018?

Messi was handed a red ribbon by TV reporter Rama Pantarotto when Argentina were struggling in the World Cup group stages in Russia four years ago.

“My mum told me to give this to you,” he told the legendary forward. “I carry her red ribbon for good luck. If you want, I can give it to you. It’s from my mum so make sure to keep it safe because you’re kind of jinxed now.”

The same reporter then interviewed Messi after Argentina’s No.10 inspired his side to a 2-1 victory in Saint Petersburg – and received the shock of his life when it turned out that the superstar had, as requested, worn the ribbon.

A lucky charm from the beginning, Messi has since passed it on to various teammates, as a viral thread from @BarcaWorldwide shows.

Philippe Coutinho was seen wearing the ribbon during the 2018-19 season when the Brazilian was going through a tough time at Barcelona.

Paulo Dybala then went on to score his first competitive goal for Argentina while wearing it in 2019.

When nobody else needed help, Messi was seen wearing it – even when he wasn’t playing football.

The thread shows that both Lautaro Martinez and Rodrigo De Paul have been seen wearing the red ribbon.

And goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez wore it during the shootout against France, saving Coman’s penalty in the process.

Messi was then seen wearing it again around his left ankle back in the dressing room.

Footballers are famously superstitious beings and wearing the red ribbon clearly gave Argentina’s players additional belief and confidence before and during the tournament.

Pantarotto couldn’t have imagined in his wildest dreams that he’d be watching Argentina’s players lifting the World Cup while wearing the red ribbon that his mum told him to give to Messi.

What a story.