What was the cloak that Lionel Messi wore to lift the World Cup?
Lionel Messi lifted the World Cup wearing a black cloak – something that's never happened before
Lionel Messi lifted the World Cup in a mysterious black cloak, with FIFA president Gianni Infantino insisting the 35-year-old should wear it.
Messi later took the cloak off during the celebrations but covered his Argentina shirt in the semi-translucent clothing item, in a strange twist to the trophy lift.
Never before has a player been made to wear something different while lifting the trophy, with Gary Lineker on the BBC coverage stating that it was a shame that he had to cover the Albiceleste jersey to lift the trophy.
Something a little strange about Messi being dressed in Bisht, that black cloak that the emir of Qatar dressed him in before lifting the World Cup. Qatar wants this to be its moment as much as it is Messi’s and Argentina’s. pic.twitter.com/S4Jk6zGRZvDecember 18, 2022
The cloak in question though is a bisht, handed to him by Qatari Emir Tamim.
It's a kind of clothing item most often found in the Middle East, not just in Qatar but in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, too.
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Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.