Revealed: Emotional 5-word statement that Lionel Messi whispered ahead of Argentina’s winning penalty at 2022 FIFA World Cup final

Lionel Messi seemingly uttered a five-word message to his late grandmother just before Argentina's winning penalty in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final.

La Albiceleste led 2-0 before Kylian Mbappe's brace late in the second half sent the game into extra time. Lionel Messi scored his second of the game to put Argentina into the lead before Mbappe completed his hat-trick.

Messi and Mbappe both dispatched their team's opening spot-kick in the penalty shootouts. However, consecutive misses from Aurelien Tchouameni and Kingsley Coman proved to be the difference on the night.

Gonzalo Montiel had the chance to score the most important penalty kick in his country's history. Just before the Sevilla right-back slotted home the winning spot-kick, Messi apparently said (h/t RoyNemer):

"Puede ser hoy abu."

The five-word translation of it reads, "It could be today grandma." The Argentine appears to have made an unkept promise to his late maternal grandmother Celia Olivera Cuccittini, who died in 1998 when Messi was just 11. He fulfilled it on 18 December at the Lusail Iconic Stadium in his fifth and likely last attempt at winning the FIFA World Cup.

Messi has now won every possible major trophy he could have won at the club and international levels.

The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) playmaker has dedicated all his goals to his grandmother since her demise. His trademark celebration of looking up and pointing both his index fingers at the sky is understood to be a tribute to her. The Argentine's grandmother is believed to have encouraged him to play football and supported him a lot when he was a child.

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Lionel Messi ineffective in PSG's loss vs Rennes

For just the second time this season across competitions, Lionel Messi failed to score or assist for PSG when he was on the pitch for the entirety of the game. He failed to have a tangible impact on the game as his team lost 1-0 to Stade Rennais at Roazhon Park on 15 January.

The forward managed no shots on target, completed just one out of his three attempted dribbles, and managed a meager pass accuracy of 81%.

Messi returned to club football in style after his FIFA World Cup triumph, netting a goal in his team's 2-0 win over Angers on 11 January. But he was surprisingly out of sorts against Rennes.

The loss saw RC Lens shave the gap between them and Les Parisiens to just three points at the top of the table after 19 matches.

Lionel Messi and his teammates will now gear up for a friendly against Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal's combined team in Riyadh on Thursday (19 January).