Soccer superstar Lionel Messi has achieved the dream of a lifetime after Argentina won the World Cup in a final many say will go down as the greatest in history.

Argentina players and fans danced for joy after an intense shoot-out with France when the game was forced into extra time after a 3-3 deadlock early on Monday (AEDT).

Commentators described the nail-biting spectacle as incredible, sensational, astonishing and “the greatest final in the competition’s history”.

It had everything – 90 minutes of tussle when the match was flipped on its head, 30 minutes of extra time and a penalty kick shoot-out.

The world’s top two players both shone in a fantastic duel – a hat-trick for France’s Kylian Mbappe and two goals for Messi; both men also scored in the penalty shoot-out.

And the stakes were high, with Argentina chasing its first title since 1986 and France hungry to become only the third side to win back-to-back World Cups.

But in thrilling scenes in Qatar, Argentina prevailed 4-2 on spot kicks to lift the World Cup for the third time.

Twists, turns and a hat-trick

Argentina dominated the first half, scoring 2-0 straight up in the first half, with Messi converting a 23rd-minute penalty.

But France stunned by coming from two goals down to level over 90 minutes, with Mbappe netting twice in two minutes.

Mbappe hit back at Argentina, first with an 80th-minute penalty and then a dazzling volley.

The France striker completed his hat-trick in the 118th minute with another spot-kick after Messi took the Argentinians to 3-2.

In a final of extraordinary twists and turns, Mbappe became only the second man to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final following Geoff Hurst’s treble for England in the 1966 victory over West Germany.

Mbappe was the leader France desperately needed as time was running out with the defending champions trailing 2-0.

His two goals in less than two minutes carried France back into the match. Twice.

The Frenchman leaves Qatar with the Golden Boot trophy as the tournament’s top scorer with eight goals. He’s quickly closing in on Pele’s 12 career World Cup goals — and he’s still only 23.

Understandably, though, he looked so crestfallen afterwards that he had to be consoled on the field by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Messi’s World Cup

But it was Messi’s day as the Argentine captain, considered by many to be the greatest footballer of all-time, was at last able to lift the one trophy that had eluded him.

Now there’s no debate. Messi is definitively in the pantheon of soccer’s greatest ever players, alongside Pele — a record three-time World Cup champion from Brazil — and Diego Maradona, the late Argentina great with whom Messi has so often been compared.

Lionel Messi on his knees as Argentina wins its third World Cup. Photo: Getty

Here, Messi achieved what Maradona did in 1986, dominating a World Cup for Argentina — even though, at 35, he was 10 years older than ‘El Diego’ was when shooting them to the title in Mexico.

The torch will one day pass to Mbappe, whose late goals transformed the match and earned him the Golden Boot as the tournament’s top scorer — but not yet.

Argentina fans watching the live broadcast in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Photo: Getty

“Let’s go, Argentina!” Messi roared into a microphone on the field in the post-match celebrations, before he collected his Golden Ball award as the player of the tournament.

Then, as he waited to pick up the World Cup itself, he rubbed his hands in glee before collecting the trophy and  joining his adoring teammates, for whom he has become even more of icon over the past month.

For as he lifted the biggest trophy in sport to the heavens, this was always going to be remembered as Messi’s World Cup.

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