David Hytner was at the Lusail Stadium tonight. His report is in, and here it is. Congratulations to Argentina, commiserations to France, and thank you both so much for serving up perhaps the greatest final of all. Thanks to you as well, dear reader, for sticking with us on the MBM all the way through the tournament. See you all for the Carabao Cup next week. (Too clunky a gear change?)

Messi disrobes … just the robe … and jumps around a bit more, better to show off his Argentina shirt. Then he hands the trophy to his team-mates as he jigs around with his kids again. At last, at long last: Argentina and Lionel Messi: Campeones del Mundo.

Lionel Messi, fully robed up, rubs his hands in anticipation of finally – finally – lifting the World Cup. The Emir of Qatar and Fifa president Gianni Infantino hand over the golden prize. Messi takes possession of the holy grail, ekes out the moment by bobbing lightly along the podium, in front of his team-mates … then hoists the World Cup high into the air! Fireworks! Dancing! Glee! Argentina are champions of the world!

Argentina come up to get their gold medals in numerical order. That means it’s not a long wait for the man who converted the winning penalty, Gonzalo Montiel. Huge cheers for Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez and Angel Di Maria. Aston Villa’s Emi Martinez. Lisandro Martinez of Manchester United. Cristian Romero of Spurs. Alexis Mac Allister of Brighton. A medal around the neck of manager Lionel Scaloni … then his namesake Messi. The roof comes off as he hugs the Emir, and he’ll be lifting the World Cup in a few seconds …

Hugo Lloris leads his brave France team up to the podium. Every one of them look drained, disappointed, distraught. They’ll appreciate having taken part in an all-time classic … one day, one day. But for now, it’s silver medals and sympathetic handshakes all round. They’ve accepted defeat with good grace. No surprise there: it was a final competed in the best spirit. Les bleus line up for a group photo. Last man up, Kylian Mbappe, who looks utterly ruined. He contemplates taking his silver medal off, but doesn’t. Like I say, good grace. What a team. They came so close to retaining the trophy, something that hasn’t been done for 60 years. What a team.

All four award winners pose for a group photo. Three of them are signally happier than the other one. Congratulations to Lionel, Enzo, Emi and Kylian. Poor Kylian.

More awards. Then the golden glove award is given to Emi Martinez. He first uses it as a phallic symbol, then sucks on its thumb. It’s a way of celebrating, I guess. And next up, a grim Kylian Mbappe, getting his golden boot for top goalscorer. Shades of Messi picking up his player-of-the-tournament award after losing the 2014 final. Hats off to Mbappe for forcing a smile when posing for the photos. And finally the Golden Ball goes, just as it did in 2014, to Messi. Of course it does. He’s a damn sight happier this time. A huge smile. Then he walks past the World Cup Trophy and gives it a tender stroke and kiss. Aww! The crowd go wild. Imagine the noise we’ll hear when he finally gets to lift it.

Right, here come the dignitaries. Fifa bauchle Gianni Infantino (you’re welcome, Gordon in Ayr) and the Emir of Qatar. Medals are hung around the neck of referee Szymon Marciniak and his team. They all had a fine game. Then the young player of the tournament award goes to Enzo Fernandez of Argentina. Not a bad month’s work for the 21-year-old Benfica midfielder.

The lights dim in the stadium. Time for the trophy presentation. As we wait for all the celebrations, let’s again consider Lionel Messi, who has become the first player to score at every stage of a modern finals: the groups, the round of 16, the quarters, the semi, and the final. That’s not quite up there with Jairzinho, who scored in every single match of Brazil’s successful 1970 run (though he didn’t have a round of 16 game to play) but six out of seven ain’t bad: the only game he didn’t score in was the group win over Poland.

Messi is doing the family thing right now, a world of delight. Di Maria, who has pretty much been in tears on and off ever since scoring that sensational first-half goal, gets a hug from his loved ones too. An awful lot of pogoing going on.

… and the final standings in the race for the Golden Boot.

8: Kylian Mbappe (France)
7: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
4: Julian Alvarez (Argentina), Olivier Giroud (France)

That’s the biggest haul since Ronaldo also scored eight in 2002. You have to go back 52 years for a better personal goalscoring performance at a World Cup, Gerd Muller scoring ten at Mexico 1970. Poor Mbappe, head dropped, is heartbroken right now. France’s president Emmanuel Macron gives him an avuncular hug, gathering him back up to full height. He’ll look back on this tournament with pride … given time. A lovely tweet waiting for him when he gets back in the changing room, too.

The updated World Cup roll of honour, then.

5: Brazil (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002)
4: Italy (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006), Germany (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014)
3: Argentina (1978, 1986, 2022)
2: Uruguay (1930, 1950), France (1998, 2018)
1: England (1966), Spain (2010)

Mbappe sits on the bench with his number 10 shirt pulled up over his head. A few tears no doubt. Who could blame him? A hat-trick in the final! Finally, someone makes it onto the list alongside Sir Geoff Hurst. But unlike England’s 1966 hero, there’s no joy for him today. At least he’s already got a winner’s medal in his cabinet, not that he’ll be thinking about that right now. A lot of pensive French stars staring into the middle distance right now.

Messi is wandering around in disbelief. A huge stoned smile across his face. High on life. No wonder. He’s at the top of the world. But spare a thought for poor Kylian Mbappe, who has just scored a hat-trick in the World Cup final, only to find himself on the losing side. He looks bereft. When the pain subsides … and it will take a while … he’ll look with satisfaction upon his stellar contribution to the greatest World Cup final of all time. Because it was, wasn’t it? What a story! What performances by Messi and Mbappe! What a final.

00:55

Argentina pile on each other in a mixture of glee and, well, tearful glee. Argentina held their nerve in the penalty shoot-out – with a little help from Emi Martinez’s mind games – and they’ve won their third World Cup! Lionel Messi has his winners medal at last, and the weight of the world is visibly lifted off his shoulders! He smiles, sparkling like a young boy, just a happy lad. What a performance! What a career! What a final.

PENALTIES: France 2-4 Argentina. Montiel rolls confidently into the bottom left, and Argentina are kings of the world!

Up comes Gonzalo Montiel. He can win the World Cup for Argentina…

PENALTIES: France 2-3 Argentina. Martinez is booked for trying it on again. And this time his throw-away ruse doesn’t work, Kolo Muani roofing one down the middle.

PENALTIES: France 1-3 Argentina. Paredes whistles his kick into the bottom left, and Argentina are so close now! Lloris went the right way and may wonder if he should have done better.

PENALTIES: France 1-2 Argentina. Martinez flings the ball away, forcing Tchouameni to go fetch. More time to think … and he drags a dismal effort wide left. Martinez had gone the right way, too!

PENALTIES: France 1-2 Argentina. Dybala was brought on for this. He fires his straight down the middle, and it’s advantage Argentina. As cool as Messi.

PENALTIES: France 1-1 Argentina. Coman goes bottom left … but it’s not good and Martinez gets down to make the easy save. The stadium erupts!

PENALTIES: France 1-1 Argentina. Messi rolls slowly down the middle. Just a little bit to the left. Not much, but enough to evade the reach of Lloris. What nerves!

PENALTIES: France 1-0 Argentina. Mbappe lashes towards the top left. Not quite, and Martinez gets fingers to it, but can’t stop it going in.

That was an astonishing period of extra time. How was it only 3-3?!! But here we are. It’s an awful shame that either Lionel Messi or Kylian Mbappe has to lose. It’s not on, really. But it has to happen. The captains Messi and Lloris both win something at the coin toss. The penalties will be taken at the end packed out with Argentina fans. France get to take their kicks first. Here we go, then!

Mbappe nearly sets the seal on a classic by scoring his fourth, twisting the blood of Romero and Paredes as he dribbles in from the left. Dybala batters clear, just in time, and we’re going to penalty kicks!

ET 30 min +3: Huge chances to win it at either end! Kolo Muani is one on one with Martinez, who spreads and makes the save of his life! Then Messi skitters down the right and stands one up for Lautaro Martinez in the middle. He heads wide right from ten yards!

ET 30 min +2: Messi and Lautaro Martinez very nearly replicate the Maradona-Burrachaga winning combination of 1986 … but as Martinez chases down the middle and prepares to shoot, Konate steps up and the offside flag springs up. Lloris kicks away in any case.

ET 30 min +1: Both teams make a change with penalty kicks in mind. France replace Kounde with Disasi, while Argentina send on Dybala for Tagliafico.

ET 30 min: Nope. France deal with the corner easily enough … then go up the other end and nearly snatch it at the death! Mbappe crosses from the left. Kolo Muani rises and aims a header towards the top right. Martinez is scrambling, unlikely to get there if it’s on target. But it bounces inches wide of the top corner!

ET 29 min: … so Mbappe becomes only the second player in history to score a hat-trick in the final, after Geoff Hurst in 1966. But there’s no time to think about that, because Acuna wins a corner down the left for Argentina. They couldn’t, could they?

There was some confusion when that penalty was awarded. Was it a free kick? Nope! A penalty. No confusion about the kick itself, though. Mbappe sends Martinez the wrong way and lashes into the left-hand side of the net!

ET 26 min: The corner’s half cleared. Mbappe, to the left of the D, curls for the top right. Montiel jumps and blocks with his forearm. The referee points to the spot!

ET 25 min: Konate, of all people, wins a corner down the right wing. Before it can be taken, Pezzella comes on for Mac Allister.

ET 24 min: Camavinga drives down the inside-left channel at Paredes, who, perhaps imagining the Dutch dugout in front of him, ploughs straight through his man at full speed. Cynical as you like, and it nearly kicks off. Just a yellow.

ET 23 min: Argentina waste some time near the corner flag.

ET 22 min: Martinez, who has been exceptional since coming on, tries to spin Varane down the left wing. He doesn’t quite get past his man, but does enough to force a throw near the corner flag. Varane collapses. Spent. Can’t continue. On comes Konate in his stead.