Argentina appeared to be on their way to a one-sided victory after Messi’s penalty and Angel Di Maria’s brilliant goal in the first half put them in complete control, but Mbappe converted an 80th-minute penalty and volleyed in a sublime equaliser a minute later to force extra time.

Messi put Argentina ahead again, but Mbappe equalised with another penalty, becoming the second man after England’s Geoff Hurst in 1966 to score a World Cup final hat-trick.

Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez saved Kingsley Coman’s attempt in the shootout, and Aurelien Tchouameni fired wide. That gave substitute full back Gonzalo Montiel, who had given away the penalty for France’s third goal, the opportunity for ultimate vengeance, which he duly took by calmly sending Hugo Lloris the wrong way.

Argentina has now won six of their seven World Cup shootouts, including a quarter-final against the Netherlands a week ago in which they also blew a 2-0 lead, while France has lost three of five, but two of those losses have come in finals.

It meant that after his record-breaking 26th World Cup match, at the fifth and final time of asking, the 35-year-old Messi claimed the trophy he craved, lifting him up alongside Diego Maradona, the country’s first football God who led them to their emotional second triumph in 1986 after their first in 1978.