Pele, a legend of Brazil, congratulated Argentina on their stunning World Cup triumph and said Lionel Messi's accomplishment was what "his trajectory deserved."
Pele, who has lately been hospitalised, has been paying attention to the happenings at Qatar 2022 and stated that the late Diego Maradona would have enjoyed Argentina's title victory.
The significant milestone for 35-year-old Messi means he now matches compatriot Maradona, the inspiration behind Argentina's success in Mexico 86, by winning his first World Cup. In November 2020, at the age of 60, Maradona passed away.
"Congratulations, Argentina! Certainly, Diego is smiling now," Pele wrote on Instagram.
Pele, 82, expressed sadness for Kylian Mbappe, who lost after scoring two penalties and a spectacular volley to clinch just the second hat-trick in a men's World Cup final, following Geoff Hurst's hat-trick for England against West Germany in 1966.
Following a Sunday 3-3 tie, Argentina won the title after a 4-2 victory in the penalties shootout, thanks to misses from Kingsley Coman and Aurelien Tchouameni.
Before he and Mbappe, a teammate from Paris Saint-Germain, both scored a penalty to start the shootout, Messi scored twice in a memorable game.
Messi was awarded the Golden Ball for the second time as the tournament's best player, and Mbappe took home the Golden Boot for being the leading scorer with eight goals.
Pele, a three-time World Cup champion, praised Mbappe's achievement of scoring four goals, including the shootout goal. He also praised Morocco, who came in fourth after becoming the first team from Africa to go to the World Cup semifinals."Today, football continues to tell its story, as always, in an enthralling way," Pele said. "Messi winning his first World Cup, as his trajectory deserved.
"My dear friend, Mbappe, scoring four goals in a final. It was a gift to watch this spectacle for the future of our sport.
"And I couldn't fail to congratulate Morocco for the incredible campaign. It's great to see Africa shine."