There used to be a time when people said that Lionel Messi was a bad captain and a poor leader. Nowadays, we get more and more confirmation that those claims were far from the truth.
The former Barcelona forward once again showed his leadership skills during the penalty shootout against France in the World Cup final.
Having taken the first penalty himself, Messi then personally congratulated the next takers, Paulo Dybala and Leandro Paredes.
Here's Leo walking back to the middle of the pitch after hugging Dybala.
And this is him walking towards Paredes to do the same.
Leo congratulated Gonzalo Montiel too, there's no doubt about that, but that must've come a bit later. Since Montiel's goal confirmed Argentina as world champions, Messi collapsed to the ground and started celebrating the moment the ball entered the net.
