Messi and Argentina teammates dance with $10 million cheque in dressing room after World Cup win
The World Cup winning Argentinian team were filmed dancing around in the changing rooms with a $10 million (£8.2m) cheque - not a bad Christmas bonus, eh?
Lionel Messi and his teammates were quick to celebrate following their 4-2 win against France in a nail-biting match that ended up going to penalties. You can see them celebrating here:
The players returned to the dressing room post-match where they cracked open the beers and cigars while dancing and celebrating - at one point, a conga line even broke out.
Advert
Players, including Sergio Aguero and Nicolas Otamendi, shared the behind the scenes footage of the celebrations, which also included a wheelie bin for some reason.
In one of the clips, Messi can be seen dancing on a table while holding the World Cup trophy.
And in another, a coach made a dive into a green wheelie bin, which promptly fell onto its side.
As you can probably imagine, another highlight of the celebrations was the moment the team were handed the tournament’s $10 million prize money.
Messi could be seen jumping up and down as he was handed the oversized cheque.
And the 35-year-old had every reason to celebrate, he scored two goals during the 3-3 extra time game yesterday and scored a penalty during the shoot out.
Although Messi had previously hinted that this World Cup would be his last big tournament, it looks as though he may have had a change of heart.
Speaking to Argentinian TV station TyC Sports last night, he said: “Obviously I wanted to cap my career with this and I can’t ask for anything more.
“What will happen after this? I’ve managed to win the Copa America and the World Cup almost at the end.
“I love football, it’s what I do. I enjoy being in the national team and want to continue by experiencing a few more games as a world champion.”
And it seems as though head coach Lionel Scaloni is also keen on Messi remaining in the national squad.
During the post-match conference, he said: “First of all, we need to save him a spot for the next World Cup in 2026. If he wants to keep playing, he’ll be with us.”
Scaloni added: “The match was completely insane. I know it’s just a football game, a World Cup, and we shouldn’t think any further, but in Argentina, football is not just football. We have to celebrate.
"It wasn’t in my plans. I didn’t envisage to be World Cup winners, but now we are and the most important thing is how we achieved this.”
Claire Reid