Soccer star Lionel Messi still wears lucky charm ribbon gifted to him 4 years ago by a reporter's Mom

The FIFA world cup ended with a beautiful victory for Argentina against France. The final match had all of us on the edge of our seats as Argentina beat the European country during penalties. It also proved to be the fairytale ending for Lionel Messi, considered the greatest player of all time. If there were any doubts about him being the greatest player to grace the sport, he appeared to erase them away as he scored two goals in the final to help Argentina beat France. Some are attributing the victory to Lionel Messi's lucky charm. The footballer wore a red ribbon on his left leg during the game and it can be seen in some of the post-match pictures of the team. The story behind this special charm is beautiful and heartwarming. 

It all began in the 2018 world cup in Russia when an Argentine journalist Rama Pantarotto gave Messi his mother's red amulet. In numerous cultures, the red string is seen as a protective device used to ward against evil. The reporter said during the time, "My mum told me to give this to you. I carry her red ribbon for good luck. If you want, I can give it to you. It’s from my mom so make sure to keep it safe because you’re kind of jinxed now," per Give Me Sport.

The same Argentine journalist later interviewed Messi after the superstar guided Argentina to a 2-1 victory in Saint Petersburg, and he got the shock of his life. He asked, "I don’t know if you remember, but my mother gave you a ribbon." Messi said, "look at this" and proceeded to show everyone the red ribbon he was wearing it on the leg. The reporter was shocked and joyously said to the camera, "Mom! Messi wore it."

One year later, Messi passed the fortunate red ribbon to Paulo Dybala, who used it to score Argentina's first competitive goal. He also gave it to Philippe Coutinho in 2019 when the Brazillian footballer was struggling with form. Recently, it appears that Messi gave the identical bracelet to Emiliano Martinez, who was photographed wearing it when he walked up to accept his Golden Glove trophy for the tournament's best goalkeeper, per BarcaUniversal. 

This red ribbon has once again proved to be lucky for the team as Gonzalo Montiel scored the game-winning penalty as Argentina defeated France in the World Cup final in Qatar, becoming winners for the first time since Mexico 36 years earlier, per Al Jazeera. The game was 120 minutes of nail-biting normal and extra-time action in which France twice came from behind to bring the 3-3 tie into a penalty shootout. In the shootout, Argentina's Emiliano Martinez saved Kingsley Coman's chance, while France's Aurelien Tchouameni also missed the goal, before Montiel scored Argentina's fourth penalty to end the match. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni was obviously moved as he dedicated his team's triumph to his parents. He said after the match, "I cannot believe that we have suffered so much in a perfect game. Unbelievable, but this team responds to everything." He added, "I am proud of the work they did. With the blows we received today, this makes you emotional. I want to tell people to enjoy it. It’s a historic moment for our country."

Some would dismiss the red amulet as superstition and some would celebrate it as a lucky charm but there's no mistaking that the best player has it on him at all times and he has won 3 international trophies since. Last night, he secured the biggest prize soccer has to offer by winning the world cup, cementing his place in history. Somewhere in Argentina, journalist Rama Pantarotto's mother is smiling.