A grinning Luis Suarez congratulates former team-mate and close friend Lionel Messi on FaceTime… after he led Argentina to World Cup glory against France in Qatar
Luis Suarez was delighted for Lionel Messi as he congratulated his former Barcelona team-mate on FaceTime following Argentina’s World Cup triumph against France on Sunday.
Messi inspired his team to glory, scoring twice during the game and then stepping up to slot home his spot-kick as Argentina overcame a French fightback to win 4-2 on penalties.
After winning the World Cup at his fifth attempt, Messi has been hailed by some of football’s biggest names including Brazilian duo Pele and Ronaldo.
Lionel Messi led Argentina to World Cup glory as they beat France on penalties in the final
Messi was congratulated by a grinning Luis Suarez after finally winning the World Cup
Suarez was one of the first people to congratulate him, though, as he called Messi on FaceTime.
The pair played at the Nou Camp together between 2014 and 2020, and remain close friends, and Suarez had a huge grin on his face as he spoke to the Argentina captain.
Suarez posted a screenshot of the FaceTime call on his Instagram alongside the caption ‘Felicitaciones gordo!’ This translates as ‘congratulations fatty’ but ‘gordo’ is also often used as a term of endearment in some Latin American countries.
It was a major contrast to how Suarez left the World Cup after he was seen in tears at the side of the pitch following Uruguay’s elimination at the group stage.
Suarez and Messi played together at Barcelona for six years and remain close friends
Suarez’s own World Cup, which is likely to be his last, may not have finished the way he wanted it to, but he was clearly very happy for how Messi had ended his World Cup career.
Messi enjoyed an outstanding tournament, scoring seven goals, and was only pipped to the Golden Boot by Kylian Mbappe, who found the net eight times.
Messi also registered three assists, including an incredible pass for Nahuel Molina in Argentina’s quarter-final win against the Netherlands.
After his stunning performance in the final, Messi was awarded the Golden Ball, given to the best player in the tournament, for the second time in his career.
He is the first player to win the Golden Ball on multiple occasions.
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