The moment caused quite a stir in the BBC studio with the decision to put Messi in a Bisht leaving them all confused, with Pablo Zabaleta, who played 58 times for Argentina, parctilarly bemused. With Gary Lineker bringing up the topic, Zabaleta who simply replied, "Why, just why? No reason to do that." Messi didn’t wear the item of clothing for long, taking it off shortly after the trophy presentation and celebrating with his teammates in Argentina’s distinctive jersey.

It was, for some, the perfect ending to a tournament that has been viewed by many as the best World Cup ever. The bisht is a long cloak made out of light, often sheer, material with trimming made out of real gold that is worn over a white thobe. Seems a shame in a way that they’ve covered up Messi in his Argentina shirt,” said former England international and presenter Gary Lineker on BBC’s live coverage of the final. Welcome to The Messi Store, the exclusive source of the official premium lifestyle brand of soccer legend Leo Messi: The Messi Brand. Our chief brand goal is to extend the core of Leo’s values, vision, and sportsmanship from the pitch to the apparel.It later changed the headline of the story to “Lionel Messi made to wear traditional Arab bisht for World Cup trophy lift.” CNN reached out to FIFA for comment regarding the decision to use the bisht in the presentation ceremony. In his new attire, which covered his national pale blue and white jersey, Messi danced towards his teammates before lifting the trophy above his head. To others, it was one last attempt for Qatar to stamp its mark on the tournament – a criticism of the “sportswashing” (where critics accused Qatar of using the occasion to paper over its human rights record) that has underpinned much of the coverage of the tournament. Messi converted the opening goal from 12 yards after Angel Di Maria was felled by Ousmane Dembele. Di Maria then doubled his nation's lead in the 36th minute converting Alexis Mac Allister's pass.

Baig said he saw it as “an embrace by Messi of the local culture”, adding that it was “a pretty cool thing” for Qatar to do and “smart thinking” on their behalf. What did the organisers say? Mustafa Baig, a lecturer in Islamic studies at the University of Exeter, told the dpa news agency that the bisht is a formal robe worn by royalty, dignitaries, grooms on their wedding day, and graduates at graduation ceremonies. It is a dress for an official occasion and worn for celebrations. This was a celebration of Messi,” Al Thawadi told BBC Sport. Hassan al-Thawadi, secretary-general of Qatar’s World Cup organising committee, said: “It is a dress for an official occasion and worn for celebrations. This was a celebration of Messi. Others on social media were outraged by the criticism of the bisht, saying it was steeped in ignorance and misunderstanding of Qatar’s culture.LUSAIL CITY, QATAR - DECEMBER 18: Lionel Messi of Argentina lifts the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Winner's Trophy during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium on December 18, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) Julian Finney/Getty Images However, I didn’t see the same level of anger and outrage when racism, Islamophobia, and orientalism was constantly used against the World Cup in Qatar.