With Argentine star Lionel Messi returning to the World Cup final in 2026, fans are recalling one of the most famous and beautiful images in the tournament's history, when he lifted the 2022 World Cup wearing the Arab bisht on an immortal night at Lusail Stadium.

Before Messi received the trophy after Argentina's victory over France, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, dressed him in the Arab bisht, in the presence of FIFA President Gianni Infantino, a scene that quickly spread across the world and became part of football's memory.

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The idea of the bisht was not random or merely an addition to the trophy ceremony, but stemmed from its great symbolism in Arab and Gulf culture, as it is worn on important occasions and given as an honor to prominent figures and those of high status. Through this gesture, Qatar wanted to leave its cultural mark on the most important moment of the World Cup, and to combine the crowning of the World Cup champion with the Arab identity of the host country, turning the image of Messi with the bisht into a message that reached the entire world.

Despite the controversy that accompanied the scene in some Western media, the image achieved wide global spread, and the bisht became one of the most iconic symbols associated with Messi’s long-awaited title. After the final, the fame of this Arab attire and interest in it outside the region increased.

Four years later, Messi is back in the final, and with him the image of the bisht returns to the forefront, even if the host country and trophy ceremony are different; because fans now associate his appearance on the World Cup podium with that historic scene.

Messi may lift the trophy again, or the tournament may go to his rival, but what is certain is that the image of the bisht will remain present whenever the Argentine captain approaches the podium, having become an immortal part of his career and the history of the World Cup.

The Lusail night proved that the World Cup does not create its memories only through goals and victories; a single piece of clothing can encapsulate the culture of an entire nation, turning a sporting moment into an image that never fades from the world's memory.