Messi pictured sleeping with World Cup trophy

An image of Argentina captain, Lionel Messi, sleeping with the World Cup trophy has gone viral online.

Messi helped his country win their third title against France on Sunday.

The Argentine skipper had a brilliant tournament at Qatar 2022, with seven goals and three assists, including a brace in the final that helped Argentina beat France to land their third title.

He and the rest of the La Albiceleste squad returned to Buenos Aires to continue their celebrations on Tuesday, and Messi also took to Instagram to show his followers that the World Cup trophy hasn’t left his side since their victory.

Messi is not the first man to sleep with the trophy after winning a major title.

Sadio Mane took the AFCON trophy to bed after Senegal became African champions at the start of the year, while Robert Lewandowski posted a picture with the Champions League trophy after winning it with Bayern Munich in 2020.

Messi is expected to return to competitive action at club level with Paris Saint-Germain against Strasbourg in Ligue 1 on December 28.