Rafael Nadal left in tears when Lionel Messi scored in 'spectacular' FIFA World Cup final

Rafael Nadal revealed that he experienced strong emotion during the 2022 FIFA World Cup final when Lionel Messi lifted the most important trophy of his career.

Last Sunday saw Argentina beat defending champions France in one of the most thrilling football matches ever and win the FIFA World Cup for the third time, after 1978 and 1086. While the South American team led 2-0 and was on its way to an easy victory, France's Kylian Mbappe scored twice in quick succession to push the match into extra time.

Once again Argentina extended its lead when Messi scored the third goal in the 108th minute. However, Mbappe completed his hat trick in the 118th minute. Argentina eventually won the match 4-2 in penalties.

Speaking about the match to the Spanish newspaper Diario AS recently, Nadal stated that he was happy to see Messi lift the only trophy that was missing from his cabinet. The Spaniard even teared up watching one of the greatest footballers achieve his dream after having suffered so much.

"I was going with the show because unfortunately, Spain left in the round of 16. It was a spectacular final. I feel sorry for the many French friends that I have and for all that Paris and France mean to me. But I also have many Argentine friends and in that sense, as a lover and nostalgic for sport, Messi lifting the World Cup made me happy. That someone so great culminates with a title that was missing, of this caliber, with all that it means for Argentina," Nadal said.

"It seemed fair to me, I enjoyed it and I was moved. Without going with Argentina, when Messi scored the third goal, tears came to my eyes because of the emotion of seeing someone so great achieve what was missing and that he had suffered so much to achieve it. I really enjoyed the final, especially from minute 70 onward, which was spectacular," he added.

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"A young boy was overwhelmed by tremendous pressure" - Rafael Nadal on Kylian Mbappe snubbing Real Madrid

Kylian Mbappe during the 2022 FIFA World Cup final

Kylian Mbappe was speculated to join Rafael Nadal's favorite team Real Madrid earlier in 2022 but ended up extending his contract with Paris Saint-Germain for five more years.

When asked about the incident recently, Nadal stated that the youngster was probably overwhelmed by extreme pressure.

"I don't have to forgive Mbappe for anything and as a Real Madrid fan, if he could come tomorrow. In the end, things happen in sports and I suppose that such a young boy was overwhelmed by such tremendous pressure from all angles that in the end. I think he wanted to come to Madrid, but due to many factors, everything was very complicated for him," Nadal said.