Pele congratulates Messi, Mbappe, Morocco after World Cup

Brazil great Pelé congratulated Lionel Messi and Argentina for winning the World Cup and Kylian Mbappé for his goal-scoring exploits in Sunday's final.

Pelé, who won a record three World Cups as a player, has been in the hospital to treat a respiratory infection.

He posted his message on Instagram after Argentina beat defending champion France 4-2 in a penalty shootout following a 3-3 draw at Lusail Stadium in Qatar.

“Today, football continues to tell its story, as always, in an enthralling way,” Pelé wrote in his post. “Messi winning his first World Cup, as his trajectory deserved. My dear friend, Mbappé, scoring four goals in a final. What a gift it was to watch this spectacle to the future of our sport.”

Messi scored two goals in the match and finally won the lone trophy that had eluded him in his remarkable career. Mbappé, who scored in the 2018 title match when he was a teenager just as Pelé did in 1958, became only the second player in history to score a hat trick in the World Cup final.

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“Congratulations Argentina!” Pelé wrote. “Certainly Diego is smiling now.”