Argentina is the FIFA World Cup 2022 winner after it edged out France in a nail biting penalty shootout.
The image of Lionel Messi lifting the famous trophy in his team’s iconic blue and white jersey is one thousands of Argentines have long dreamed of. However, most of those dreams probably did not include Messi also wearing a black bisht.
It was given to him as a “mark of honour” as he lifted the World Cup trophy in Qatar.
The bisht – a thin see-through traditional Arab cloak – was placed on Messi by the Emir of Qatar before he joined his euphoric teammates as they celebrated their nail-biting victory over France.
Messi was dressed in the traditional Arab cloak by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.The gesture attracted praise on social media in the region as a sign of respect but drew renewed complaints of sportswashing from western Twitter users, while the BBC pundit Pablo Zabaleta asked: “Just why? There’s no reason to do that.” BBC host Gary Lineker said it was “a shame they’ve covered his shirt” during what was “a magic moment”.
Others hailed “king” Messi. The Argentine captain “is being honoured as royalty in his Argentinian shirt, as the King of Football. It’s poetic. I don’t expect haters to understand because small minds will never get to king level,” wrote one observer.
“When Arabs gift their guest a bisht it dignifies him and is a sign of gratitude and isn’t so different from when Pele wore a Mexican hat in 1970,” wrote another fan in reference to when the famed Brazilian forward was given a sombrero following his team’s victory against Italy in Mexico that year.