Bizarre moment Lionel Messi wears a traditional Arabic robe before lifting the World Cup trophy

Lionel Messi endured an awkward moment after Argentina’s World Cup win on Sunday as he was wrapped in a robe before the cup lift.

The robe, a bisht traditionally worn on special or ceremonial occasions such as weddings or religious festivals, was donned by the Emir of Qatar on Messi, while FIFA President Gianni Infantino gave a hearty applause alongside him.

Bishts have been worn on formal occasions in the Arab world for thousands of years. They have been compared to black ties in the western world, but also carry connotations of power as they were often worn by royalty, officials and clergy.

Lionel Messi’s Argentina have won the World Cup after beating France in Qatar

The Argentina captain was wrapped in a traditional Arabic bisht during the celebrations

This meant his Argentina jersey was partially obscured as he lifted the World Cup trophy

The Argentina captain then cut an odd figure as he won the World Cup, with his shirt partially obscured by a long black robe while his team-mates stayed in just their playing attire.

He later stripped off his robes and celebrated the win in an Argentinian jersey with three stars on it, one for each World Cup the nation now has.

Some observers felt that the bisht was intended as a PR tool for the Qatari regime, as one tweet said: “[An] Arabic robe over Messi lifting the trophy. Symbolic. A way to imprint culture on what will become one of the most iconic images of all time.”

Another added: “Messi finally wins the World Cup and needs to put on a robe to lift the trophy. You just don’t do that,” while some felt that the Argentine number 10 “looked like an emperor”.

Messi later removed the bight to celebrate with the always impressive Argentina fans

Some fans felt the gesture was an attempt to turn the celebrations about the host country

There were also concerns that celebrations would be taken away from Argentina.

“It should be a moment for the players, not the host. Grossly indulgent,” read one tweet.

Others agreed, arguing that the moment should have been for him [Messi] and his nation.’

It’s rare for a world champion to be presented with a locally sourced garment during the celebrations, but that’s not unusual as Pele was given a sombrero to pose with after his victory in Mexico.

One fan took this as a reason not to confront the bisht in Qatar, urging the critics to “live your life and stop whining”.

Another felt the robe’s association with royalty meant it was a fitting reason to “acknowledge Messi as the king of football”.

There were also those who felt the gown was not worth contemplating, as they urged fans to “enjoy one of the greatest sporting moments we’ll ever see” instead.

He scored twice in goal and opened the penalty shoot-out with a noble finish

The cup win was followed by a thrilling final in which Messi’s side edged past France on penalties without a break after 120 minutes.

Didier Deschamps’ side looked out of contention at half-time as they were 2-0 down thanks to goals from Messi and Angel Di Maria but were beaten back in just a minute thanks to two goals from Kylian Mbappe.

Argentina were back on top when Messi scored again in added time but Mbappe’s late penalty kept the game alive.

It also made the French star the first man to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final since Geoff Hurst in 1966, but he still ended on the losing side thanks to a superb performance by Emiliano Martinez in Argentina’s goal during the shoot-out.

For many fans, Messi’s World Cup triumph has ended the debate over who is the greatest footballer of all time as he has now lifted the one trophy that has always eluded him.