With the intention of attracting more males to gymnastics, Colombian national Parkour leader Angie Julieth Sánchez Molina is in Jamaica to conduct an introductory course from December 20-22 at the National Gymnastics Training Centre on Slipe Road in Kingston.

Molina is an international Parkour judge and a Member of the Parkour Technical Commission International Gymnastics Federation coach.

Parkour is an athletic training discipline or sport in which practitioners attempt to get from point A to point B in the fastest and most efficient way possible, without assisting equipment and often while performing artistic-gymnastic maneuvers.

With roots in military obstacle course training and martial arts, parkour includes running, climbing, swinging, vaulting, jumping, plyometrics, rolling, and quadrupedal movement—whatever is suitable for a given situation.

The course is designed to instruct the participants on the necessary information to start up this new discipline in their countries and form a united community that contributes to the development of the discipline in the Central American region of the Pan American Gymnastics Union.

It also aims to grow the number of parkour practitioners and athletes in the region, strengthen the start of parkour in the sports and federation field and encourage the creation of new programs adapted to the style of each country.

According to Nicole Grant President of the Jamaica Gymnastics Association, equipment to facilitate the course arrived about three weeks ago and is being set up for the start of the course on Tuesday, December 20.

Grant believes it was time to introduce a new discipline in gymnastics to the island that has made steady gains in traditional forms of the sport over the past few years.

“We really wanted to introduce a new discipline that appeals to the male population and we find that Parkour is one that more males may be interested in because there is a stigma when it comes on to artistic gymnastics, which is what we do now,” she said.

“So, we are hoping that Parkour, which is also a discipline at the world championships level and will soon be at the Olympics level and we do have a number of youngsters at our gym, especially boys, who are actually doing it but they don’t know that they are.

“Boys like to jump over stuff, they like challenges like that and I think it will definitely appeal to the boys.”

This realization, she said, prompted her to reach out to the Pan American Gymnastics Union about local interest in Parkour.

“It was really at short notice because it’s the end of the year and the year for Parkour is actually wrapping up, so it was a challenge for them to get us to do the course here because you really need the equipment and they so that sent us the equipment, which thankfully came on time and in time for the course.”

 

 

 

The Philadelphia Eagles’ win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday may have come at a cost, as Jalen Hurts reportedly sprained his throwing shoulder and is uncertain to play in this week's key divisional matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.

The injury is not expected to be a long-term one, but could prevent him from playing in Week 16, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

If Hurts is unable to play against the Cowboys on Saturday, Gardner Minshew would be in line to get the start.

Hurts was reportedly injured late in the third quarter of the 25-20 win at Chicago but was able to finish the game. He threw for 315 yards with two interceptions and had three touchdown runs while rushing for 61 yards.

With the win, the Eagles improved their NFL-best record to 13-1 and took a three-game lead over the Cowboys atop the NFC East with three games to play.

Already assured of a playoff berth, Philadelphia can clinch the division and the number one seed in the NFC playoffs with a victory at Dallas on Christmas Eve.

Hurts has been instrumental to Philadelphia's sensational season and is one of the leading candidates for league MVP with career highs of 3,472 passing yards, 22 passing touchdowns and 13 rushing TDs. He also ranks fourth in the NFL in quarterback rating (104.6).

Didier Deschamps thanked fans after France landed back in Paris following their "cruel" World Cup final defeat to Argentina on Sunday.

Les Bleus were looking to become the first team to retain the World Cup since Brazil in 1962, but they were beaten 4-2 on penalties by Argentina after an enthralling 3-3 draw.

Kylian Mbappe's hat-trick helped France recover from 2-0 and then 3-2 down, but Aurelien Tchoumeni and Kingsley Coman failed to convert in the shoot-out as Deschamps' men fell to a heartbreaking defeat.

Nevertheless, the team were greeted by a mass crowd as they returned to Paris on Monday, and Deschamps expressed his appreciation for the support after such a crushing loss.

"It is our duty with the players to thank all these French men and women who supported us and gave a lot of strength to this France group," he told TF1. "We shared fabulous emotions even if the ending is cruel and hurts.

"We must not forget all that this group did while having a lot of difficulties before and during the World Cup. They experienced fabulous emotions during this month of competition."

Captain Hugo Lloris echoed his head coach's sentiments after missing out on becoming the first man to skipper his team to two World Cup trophies.

"After the pain of yesterday, [the reception is] a little comfort," Lloris said. "The most important thing is the recognition of the supporters, even if as an athlete we would have liked to have this gold medal and bring the cup back to France."

France now turn their attentions to the 2024 European Championship in Germany, where they will be looking to win the tournament for a third time.

Lloris compelled his team to carry their strong mentality from Qatar into their next competition, adding: "Despite what happened before and during the tournament, we showed resilience, we remained a group. We have to keep that going for the Euros."

Striker Olivier Giroud, who surpassed Thierry Henry as France's all-time record goalscorer in Qatar, added: "We're going to give each other a big hug and go on vacation to recharge our batteries, because there is a season to finish.

"It is always difficult to leave a group with which we spent a month and a half. We are like a family, like brothers."

Xavi and Joan Laporta paid tribute to Lionel Messi following his long-awaited World Cup triumph, the latter stating "historical justice has been done."

The former Barcelona star led Argentina to glory in Qatar as La Albiceleste defeated reigning champions France 4-2 on penalties following an enthralling 3-3 draw at Lusail Stadium.

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner finally added the sport's biggest prize to his collection following a glittering career that has also seen him win 11 league titles, four Champions Leagues, three Club World Cups and the Copa America.

And the Paris Saint-Germain forward's achievements were by saluted by Barca head coach Xavi with his former team-mate also empathising with Ousmane Dembele and Jules Kounde, who were on the losing French side.

"It was an extraordinary final for the spectator, one of the best matches I've seen in my life," he said at the premiere of a new Prime Video docuseries entitled 'FC Barcelona, A New Era.'

"I think Argentina were better and deserved it. I feel sorry for Dembele and Kounde. But we must congratulate Leo Messi, who now has his World Cup, something that could not be missing in his career."

Blaugrana president Laporta added: "He deserves it, he is the best of all time, historical justice has been done.

"We would have been happy if our Kounde and Dembele won it, but I think all of us who love and are grateful to Messi for what he has given us are happy for him."

Bernard Laporte will step back from his role as president of the French Rugby Federation after his corruption conviction, but he could return to the top office.

Former France coach Laporte wanted to remain in charge at the federation (FFR), but on Monday accepted a ruling by its ethics committee that he must relinquish power.

Handed a two-year suspended prison sentence last Tuesday, Laporte stepped down from his role as vice-chairman of World Rugby within hours as an act of "self-suspension." Now he will follow a similar tack with French rugby's top authority.

An investigation examined a number of decisions made by Laporte that favoured Mohed Altrad, the president of Top 14 side Montpellier, including the award of a shirt sponsorship deal for the France national team to Altrad's construction business.

Laporte, who was France's head coach between 1999 and 2007, was also hit with a €75,000 fine and a two-year ban from involvement in rugby by the Paris Criminal Court.

He has denied any wrongdoing and is to appeal against his court punishments. Consequently, the FFR has not ousted Laporte permanently at this stage, giving him the chance to clear his name.

The ethics committee told the 58-year-old he must accept "provisional withdrawal, as a precaution until a final criminal decision" from all presidential duties, with a temporary successor to be put in place.

According to the FFR, Laporte elected to follow the instruction "to the letter." He will remain president, officially at least, but be powerless.

"He is asked to withdraw temporarily while the final criminal decision is made," the federation said.

"This implies in particular that the president will no longer participate in the various decision-making bodies of the French Rugby Federation, and will no longer sign any commitment under the FFR."

The FFR said it intended for the action to take effect after a meeting between Laporte and Amelie Oudea-Castera, France's sports minister, which is scheduled for Thursday.

Oudea-Castera was among the first to call for Laporte to step down following his conviction, saying it would be inappropriate for him to remain in control ahead of France hosting the Rugby World Cup next year.

She has also voiced opposition to the idea of a stand-in president, questioning the "legitimacy" of such a presence at the top of the organisation.

A year after shocking the college football world with his decision to play at Jackson State, former top-ranked recruit Travis Hunter announced he is entering the transfer portal.

Hunter's decision comes weeks after his former coach Deion Sanders left Jackson State to take the job at Colorado.

While Sanders made it clear that he expects plenty of former Jackson State players to follow him to Colorado, Hunter did not yet commit to playing for the Buffaloes.

The five-star recruit revealed the decision to transfer on his personal YouTube channel, saying "I don't know what I am going to do next."

While Colorado is a possible landing spot for Hunter, Georgia, USC and Miami are reportedly also in the mix.

Hunter had originally committed to play at Florida State after coming out of high school in Georgia atop the 2022 recruiting class before shockingly decide to play for Sanders at Jackson State – a historically black college that plays on the FCS level.

He enjoyed a solid freshman season playing on both sides of the ball for a Tigers team that finished the season 12-1 with a 41-34 overtime loss to North Carolina Central in Saturday's Celebration Bowl.

As a defensive back, Hunter had two interceptions, 10 pass breakups and a fumble recovery, while also hauling in 18 passes for 188 yards and four touchdowns while playing receiver.

Andrea Pirlo was "very, very close" to signing for Real Madrid in 2006 and also held talks with Pep Guardiola's Barcelona.

Pirlo played for Milan between 2001 and 2011, winning two Serie A titles as well as a pair of Champions League trophies with the Italian giants.

But during this time, the Rossoneri were involved in the Calciopoli scandal as one of five teams accused of fixing Serie A matches.

This brought their future participation in Serie A and the Champions League into doubt as Pirlo won the 2006 World Cup with Italy, and a move to Santiago Bernabeu almost materialised.

The former midfielder told FourFourTwo: "We had just won the World Cup, but we didn't know what would happen.

"I was very, very close with Real Madrid. But then we got told that Milan could enter Champions League qualifying and be readmitted to Serie A.

"I was offered a new contract straight away and the club did a lot to keep me."

Pirlo also had discussions with Madrid's rivals Barcelona and head coach Guardiola in 2010. "He called me in [to his office after the game] and started talking about how he wanted to play and how he would like me to join his team," he recalled.

"For me, it was a source of pride, especially to talk to him and also to be compared to a Barcelona player. In the end, nothing happened, but being called by Guardiola into his office to talk was a wonderful experience."

Pirlo, now the head coach of Turkish side Fatih Karagumruk, was wanted by English sides, too, with Chelsea one of those who tried to lure him away from Milan.

"Ancelotti asked me to go with him [to Chelsea]," the 43-year-old said. "The two teams talked about it with my agent, and there was a big chance.

"But in the end, when it was time to sign the contract, Silvio Berlusconi [then Milan owner] and Adriano Galliani [CEO] didn't want me to go."

Manchester City also tried to unsuccessfully bring Pirlo to the Premier League before he eventually joined Juventus, where he stayed for four years before ending his career with MLS franchise New York City FC.

"I spoke with Juventus, with Roberto Mancini's Manchester City and with other big teams," he explained. "But in the end, I decided to go to Turin because they had a good project to get back to winning ways.

"They had just gone through some tough years, but they had a new stadium and were building a new Juve, where I would be an important player, so I decided to go there."

Cristiano Ronaldo is "a big failure of the World Cup" and has "damaged his legacy", former Germany international Lothar Matthaus claims.

Ronaldo has endured a turbulent six weeks at club and international level, having been released from Manchester United prior to the start of the tournament in Qatar following an explosive interview with Piers Morgan.

After scoring in the opening game against Ghana, Ronaldo appeared furious when withdrawn during the final group-stage match against South Korea and was subsequently dropped to the bench for the following two matches in the knockout stage.

He would not be missed against Switzerland, Goncalo Ramos scoring a hat-trick as his replacement, then Ronaldo came off the bench in a fruitless effort to stave off defeat to Morocco.

With 37-year-old Ronaldo now on the hunt for a new club, German World Cup great Matthaus has conceded he is unsure who will make a move for his services, delivering a damning assessment of the five-time Ballon D'Or winner.

"With his ego trips, Ronaldo has damaged the team and himself," Matthaus told newspaper Bild.

"There is no doubt that he was a great player and an absolutely lethal finisher. But now he has damaged his legacy.

"I find it hard to think that he can find a place in a team. I kind of feel sorry for Ronaldo.

While Ronaldo and Portugal suffered a quarter-final exit, the fortunes of Lionel Messi and Argentina were vastly different – as they celebrated glory after a dramatic penalty shoot-out triumph against France in Sunday's final.

That affirmed Messi as the "player of the millennium" in the eyes of 1990 World Cup winner Matthaus, who had a further jibe for Ronaldo.

"Ronaldo is of course a big failure of the World Cup, the opposite of Messi," he said.

"[Messi is] the absolute winner. He deserves it because he has given me and all football fans great joy with his qualities and the way he plays over 17-18 years.

"For me, Messi is the player of the millennium."

Roger Federer is the greatest of all time and tennis' equivalent of NBA legend Michael Jordan, according to Frances Tiafoe.

Federer retired in September of this year after one of the most successful careers in tennis history, having won his first grand slam at Wimbledon in 2003.

Playing in one of male tennis' most competitive eras ever alongside Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, Federer went on to win 20 grand slam titles before calling it quits at the age of 41.

Tiafoe, ranked 19th in the world, is a big NBA fan and found a basketball parallel for Federer in the form of Jordan, who won six NBA championships in the 1990s as well as five MVP awards.

Asked which NBA player he would compare Federer with, Tiafoe told The Old man and the Three Podcast: "I would say MJ.

"You think of MJ and you think that brother was crazy and you think of Federer...everything they did, you're just in awe every time you watched them."

Questioned on whether the Jordan comparison meant he viewed Federer as the greatest tennis player ever, Tiafoe replied: "Oh absolutely. Even though Rafa [Nadal] has more grand slams."

Federer once held the record for most grand slams among male players, but he has now been surpassed by both Djokovic and Nadal, the latter of whom leads the way with 22 titles.

Tiafoe overcame Nadal in the fourth round of the US Open this year and compared the Spaniard's mentality to that of the Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo.

"I would give Giannis, just from how he approaches the game and the effort he brings every night," added Tiafoe.

"Just because Giannis is coming to kill you every night. He's going to kill you and Rafa has that attitude too.

"Super nice guy, but as soon we get out there you can just feel that aura and it's the same with Giannis."

Djokovic's chase of Nadal at the top of the grand slam leaderboard was hindered in 2022 by his vaccination status, which prevented him playing at the Australian Open or the US Open, the former of which was won by the Mallorcan.

Djokovic did however collect a seventh Wimbledon crown, and will be able to resume hunting down Nadal at the upcoming Australian Open in January having been granted a visa.

Tiafoe compared the 35-year-old to Denver Nuggets star and fellow Serbian Nikola Jokic, who is the reigning NBA MVP having won the prestigious award two seasons running.

"You're watching him [Jokic] play and you just like how but also you're just in awe of his greatness," Tiafoe added. "Like what can't this guy do on a basketball court?

"This guy [is] a freak. It doesn't look your most traditional way or how you want it to look or whatever.

"Same with Novak. It's not like the prettiest game ever but these guys just get it done."

France were above the clouds when the news came from Karim Benzema, and a thought came to mind: had he ever been more distant, figuratively or literally, from Les Bleus?

Retiring from international football at the age of 35 is the sort of thing that would not usually raise many eyebrows.

Yet Benzema's announcement, and its timing, caused a fresh quake, even as the tremors from Sunday's World Cup final were still being felt.

Why had it come the day after that momentous game? Was it coming today, win or lose yesterday? Why had Benzema interrupted his own birthday to release the news? Had he waited for the team flight to depart from Qatar before dropping his bombshell?

And why, almost above all, was the announcement so curt? Just 160 characters (in its original French format) to put the lid on a story of 97 caps and 37 goals for Les Bleus.

"I made the efforts and the mistakes it took to be where I am today and I'm proud of it! I have written my story and ours is ending," Benzema signed off.

He's taking the kids, the car and the dog, and the house is in his name, and he'll be back for his train set, don't you worry about that. Forget counselling, here's your divorce papers.

It felt like an entirely apt ending to what has been often an unhappy marriage between Benzema and the France national team.

There were 15 years and 77 days between his first and last caps, and his goals haul ranks fifth on the team's all-time list. He was man of the match against Spain in a Nations League final triumph last year, but it will be Benzema's near six-year absence from international duty that most likely defines him as a France player.

Because what else are you remembering? Sure, he was a starter at Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup, but France went out in the quarter-finals each time. And yes, there was certainly that Nations League win, but such a soupcon of success hardly satisfied Benzema's hunger for a proper platter.

He had been starved of the prospect of such a feed at Euro 2016, where France reached the final but lost out to Portugal, and again at the 2018 World Cup, where they beat Croatia in the final.

If it had come down to ability, Benzema would have been a part of those French feasts, but his exclusion from each squad, and his absence from national team service between the 4-0 win over Armenia on October 8, 2015, and the 3-0 victory against Wales on June 2, 2021, was not about Benzema's playing merits.

In November 2021, Benzema was handed a one-year suspended prison sentence and fined €75,000 after being found guilty of complicity in the attempted blackmail of Mathieu Valbuena, a former international team-mate, in a case dating back to June 2015.

He always denied the accusations, having been accused of helping four other men blackmail Valbuena over an intimate video that had been taken from Valbuena's mobile phone. The other four defendants were also found guilty.

France froze Benzema out before any court verdict, excluding him essentially from the point of the allegations coming to light almost until the moment the verdicts were delivered.

French Football Federation president Noel Le Graet announced in November 2019 that Benzema would never play for France again.

"Karim Benzema is a very good player, I've never cast his qualities into doubt," said Le Graet. "On the contrary, he shows at Real Madrid that he is one of the best players in his position. But the France adventure is over."

This story could have been so different. Benzema captained France during a friendly against Brazil in March 2015, and during his absence from the national team his trophy tally at Madrid stacked up spectacularly.

He was dramatically recalled in time for the delayed Euro 2020 finals, which were held last year, saying he felt "so proud" to be back, with Didier Deschamps noting there had been long discussions that opened that door. France then exited at the last-16 stage, despite Benzema making a positive contribution on the pitch.

And now, barely 18 months later, the door that was pushed ajar has closed, with Benzema this time doing the shutting down of his international career, rather than the FFF.

His final cap came in a 1-0 home defeat to Croatia in the Nations League, back in June. He should have figured in France's World Cup squad, but when he aggravated a thigh injury on the eve of the tournament it was announced he would play no part in the Qatar 2022 campaign.

Then, when rumours swirled that Benzema might make a comeback in time for the final, Deschamps quashed the prospect.

"That doesn't interest me," Benzema subsequently posted on Instagram, a somewhat cryptic message. You took what you wanted from that remark, but it was hardly a good-luck message to the squad ahead of the final against Argentina.

So what happened for it to end this way, with seemingly little love on either side?

Former France defender Eric Di Meco told RMC Sport: "For me, it is a huge mess. A guy who plays so much time at Real, so strong, who is a Ballon d'Or winner, and who has never been able to express himself in the France team.

"There is his responsibility, and it is good that he says that there are mistakes. But for me, it's a mess at the level of the France team."

France will survive this, of course. They should have Kylian Mbappe around for the next decade, rewriting the record books.

But it takes an expert, perhaps, to judge what France have lost with news of Benzema's retirement.

Zinedine Zidane, who might yet be the next France coach, and possibly sooner rather than later, was asked after a Real Madrid game in December 2020 whether he considered Benzema to be the greatest French forward of all time.

"As far as I'm concerned, yes, he is," Zidane said. "He's showing it with all he's achieving. He's been at Real Madrid for a long time, he's played over 500 games, the goals... Really, the trophies he's won speak for themselves.

"For me, he's the best there is, no doubt about it."

After Zidane left Madrid, Benzema's performances went to still greater heights, hitting 44 goals in 46 games for Madrid last season, lifting the Champions League and LaLiga trophies as captain.

High up in the skies on Monday, the retirement news probably reached Deschamps and the returning France squad.

Benzema's tale of 'here's what you could have won' has arrived at a sad denouement, with Deschamps surely guessing he would face press interrogation about the striker on landing in Paris. And in that respect, plus ca change.

Tom Brady's assessment that the Bengals' defense is "fairly tough" was proven to be a significant understatement, and Cincinnati revelled in illustrating his misjudgement after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback turned the ball over three times in their Week 15 clash.

A 34-23 victory gave the visitors the last laugh in Tampa, a result that marked the first time in 90 games a Brady side lost a home game after leading by 17, and extended the Bengals winning streak to six games.

Prior to the game, Brady said on the SiriusXM 'Let's Go!' podcast that the Bengals possessed a "fairly tough" defense.

Though the comments were blown out of proportion in the days leading up to the game, they were not forgotten by the Bengals.

Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt poked fun at Brady, saying: "Hearing that from an old, savvy vet from him, we're a 'fairly tough defense,' with four turnovers, what would you say - tough as nails?"

Defensive tackle BJ Hill admitted the team's early performance fitted Brady's description, though he was delighted to quiet a chatty Bucs offense in the second half.

"That's how we played in the first half, I'm not going to lie to you. But we just came out in the second half and played our tails off," he told reporters.

"They really didn't say too much when we got up on them. I told them, 'Just wait until the second half.' I knew what we were going to do in the second half. And we did that."

For safety Jessie Bates III, the Bengals' defensive efforts had little to do so with Brady's comments.

"We don't really care about what people say. It is how it is, week in and week out. Somebody's going to say something. At the end of the day, they got to see us," he said.

The 10-4 Bengals hold a narrow lead over the Baltimore Ravens in the battle for the AFC North crown. Cincinnati face Baltimore in their final regular-season game on January 8.

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has no idea how the NFL MVP voters can pick anyone other than Patrick Mahomes for the league's highest individual honour.

Mahomes and the Chiefs had to go to overtime to defeat the one-win Houston Texans 30-24 and clinch the AFC West for the seventh successive season on Sunday.

The 2018 MVP completed 36 of his 41 passes for 336 yards and two touchdowns, as well as running for another score, though his impressive performance through the air was undermined somewhat by Kansas City committing 10 penalties for 102 yards and the Chiefs twice turning the ball over on fumbles.

Jalen Hurts, the quarterback of the 13-1 Philadelphia Eagles who look destined for the one seed in the NFC, is the bookmakers' favourite for the MVP.

The Chiefs are 11-3 and on course to finish as the AFC's second seed, but Reid believes Mahomes is still worthy of a second MVP despite the Eagles' superior record.

"You saw Pat and what he did. I mean, he took care of business today," Reid said in his press conference when asked about the team cleaning up penalties.

"He went back to work and worked on it. I mean, you're talking about a guy that, if he's not the MVP in the league, I'm not sure what’s wrong with them.

"But he cleaned it up and comes out, and we have almost 500 yards of offense, minus 100 of penalties.

"That’s a pretty spectacular day there. But that's what he did. Great example of how you go back to the drawing board and make sure that you clean everything up."

Mahomes leads the NFL with 4,496 passing yards and 35 passing touchdowns, while his 40 passing plays of 25 yards or more are the most in the league and nine more than that of Hurts.

Kylian Mbappe pledged France will return to the biggest stage after his World Cup final hat-trick was not enough to deny Lionel Messi and Argentina glory in Qatar.

Mbappe's remarkable treble – just the second to be scored in a men's World Cup final – ensured France forced a penalty shoot-out at the end of a back-and-forth 3-3 draw at Lusail Stadium.

He then converted the first penalty of the shoot-out, but was denied a second World Cup triumph as Kingsley Coman and Aurelien Tchouameni failed to score, handing the Albiceleste their third title.

Mbappe, who turns 24 on Tuesday, was defiant in his first social media post after Les Bleus' defeat on Monday, writing on Instagram: "We will return".

Three-time World Cup winner Pele was among those to respond to Mbappe's post, simply writing: "Merci".

The Paris Saint-Germain forward's tally of four goals in World Cup finals is unmatched by any player, while he is one of just five men to net in two showpiece games at the tournament – alongside Vava, Pele, Paul Breitner and Zinedine Zidane.

 

Former France attacker Louis Saha hailed Mbappe's performance when speaking to Sky Sports on Monday, describing it as unprecedented for a player of his age.

"It was stratospheric, it's an unbelievable achievement for a young guy like him to do that on that stage," Saha said.

"Everyone was looking for him, even Argentina were looking to defend him and doing everything to stop him. It was not possible. 

"On the big stage, with all the pressure on his shoulders, he managed to do this. 

"It's sad for him because for such a young age, he would have written a unique story. Nobody has done something like this.

"With all respect to other players, legends of the game, this guy's performance to maintain France's dream… the quality of his attitude through the tournament, it was absolutely breathtaking."

Lionel Messi's World Cup triumph is not enough for him to surpass Diego Maradona as Argentina's greatest player, according to Javier Zanetti.

Messi finally got his hands on the World Cup on Sunday after a thrilling final against France was settled on penalties at Lusail Stadium.

The 35-year-old scored twice in a thrilling 3-3 draw, before converting his penalty in the shoot-out, which Argentina won 4-2.

It was Argentina's third World Cup and especially poignant considering this was the first edition since Maradona, who famously led his nation to glory at the 1986 tournament, died in November 2020.

While Messi's performances in Qatar have cemented his place as the best player in history in the eyes of many, Zanetti feels he is still yet to outdo Maradona as Argentina's greatest of all time.

Zanetti told Stats Perform: "No, not for me. I don't like [the] comparison.

"We have to be grateful that the two greatest [players] in history are Argentines.

"I don't think [Messi] has changed. I think he is more mature now and he was able to transmit his leadership to the rest of the group this time."

Argentina were pegged back twice by France, first surrendering a 2-0 lead as Kylian Mbappe struck twice before levelling again in extra time after Messi had put Lionel Scaloni's men back in front.

Argentina's 36-year wait to lift international football's top prize again is the longest gap between a nation winning World Cup titles, and Zanetti believes the dramatic nature of their success made the victory even sweeter.

"It's a great emotion that the lads gave us because we have been waiting for it for a long time," Zanetti added. 

"I think they made it happen, the dream of millions of Argentinian fans around the world.

"It was a great final for us Argentines because it seemed it was all going in our way but then France had a great reaction."

Andres Iniesta, Messi's former team-mate at Barcelona, was delighted the now Paris Saint-Germain forward finally got to lift the World Cup.

"Yesterday's final was something spectacular, and that he [Messi] had the opportunity now to lift the World Cup is inexplicable," Iniesta told reporters while visiting Barcelona's training ground.

"Leo has done everything possible to achieve it. He has had a spectacular World Cup and the icing on the cake was incredible.

"I'm sure he feels maximum happiness."

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