Gary Neville felt it was Lionel Messi’s destiny to win the World Cup in his final game at the tournament, while Jamie Carragher said the final will go down as one of the greatest games of football ever.

Messi scored twice at the Lusail Stadium as Argentina beat France 4-2 on penalties after an exhilarating 3-3 draw following extra-time to claim the only piece of silverware that has eluded him in his trophy-laden career.

Neville described the final as “one of the greatest things I’ve ever seen in my life” and heaped praise on Messi for his talismanic performances for Argentina in Qatar.

“Messi should be the centre of attention and it feels right that he has won a World Cup,” Neville told ITV. “It feels like destiny was there for him and he’s contributed enormous amounts during this tournament.

“During his whole career, he’s lit up every game he’s played in. If you’ve watched Lionel Messi play live you are truly blessed. The passion, emotion, fight and spirit of Argentina – their nastiness to the very end with Emi Martinez in goal – was absolutely amazing.

“You can just feel the emotion through the stadium.”