And this is a top occasion. I mean, there’s probably no bigger occasion, so they put it on him as a mark of honour,” he said. CNN reached out to FIFA for comment regarding the decision to use the bisht in the presentation ceremony.

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. 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. Keep reading list of 4 items list 1 of 4 Photos: Messi and Argentina lift World Cup after win over France list 2 of 4 France fans hail Mbappe’s dazzling World Cup final performance list 3 of 4 Messi says he will not retire from Argentinian national team list 4 of 4 Tears of relief and joy as Messi lifts World Cup for Argentina end of list What is a bisht? 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. TOPSHOT - Argentina's captain and forward #10 Lionel Messi (R) holds the FIFA World Cup Trophy following the trophy ceremony after Argentina won the Qatar 2022 World Cup final football match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium in Lusail, north of Doha on December 18, 2022. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP) (Photo by ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP via Getty Images) Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP/Getty ImagesMustafa 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. 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? 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.

Our goal is to inspire dreamers to live to their full potential: to be the best they can be, on and off the field. Bringing your "A" game shouldn't stop after you play the best game of your life. Bring that passion and hard work to every area of your life - always strive to be the best version of yourself, and good things will happen. The moment that Lionel Messi had been waiting his entire career for finally arrived, as a 4-2 Argentina win on penalties saw him lift the prestigious World Cup trophy. A crazy 3-3 draw in 120 minutes against France saw the game decided on penalties with Gonzalo Montiel converting from 12 yards to crown Argentina as the new world champions.

What is special about the bisht?

People from different walks of life were able to come, experience what was happening here and get to understand that we may not see eye to eye on everything, but we can still celebrate together.” We support masters of their craft, whatever their craft may be. Footballers, freestylers, musicians, artists, the list goes on. If you have a passion in which you strive for excellence, The Messi Brand supports you. Precision, the condition or fact of being exact and accurate, is as important to us as it is to you: you settle for nothing but the best when it comes to “ mastering your craft. ” 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. 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. 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.

It is a dress for an official occasion and worn for celebrations. This was a celebration of Messi,” Al Thawadi told BBC Sport.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. 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. Others on social media were outraged by the criticism of the bisht, saying it was steeped in ignorance and misunderstanding of Qatar’s culture. Instead of preconceived notions & judgmental views, turning this beautiful and meaningful photo into something that is not, read about the Arab bisht; its importance, and why/when it’s worn.

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." The World Cup had the opportunity to showcase to the world our Arab and Muslim culture. This was not about Qatar, it was a regional celebration.READ MORE: Elon Musk, Macron, Khabib, Djokovic and the biggest names attending 2022 Qatar World Cup final Amid the criticism, Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General of the Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), an organization charged with organizing the World Cup, tried to explain the reasons behind the bisht. Sheikh Tamim placed a bisht on Messi during the trophy presentation. Clive Brunskill/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images It later changed the headline of the story to “Lionel Messi made to wear traditional Arab bisht for World Cup trophy lift.” Some are mad because Messi wore a bisht (it was gifted to him; a symbol of appreciation and respect in the Arab culture),” writer and columnist Reem Al-Harmi tweeted.