World Cup

A triumphant return to Argentina on Tuesday nearly turned disastrous for Lionel Messi and a couple of his other star teammates ... who were all almost thrown off the roof of a bus by a low-hanging street wire.

The scary moment happened as Messi and the Argentinian national team were taking laps around Buenos Aires to celebrate their World Cup title over France.

Messi -- sitting beside Leandro Paredes, Rodrigo De Paul, Angel Di Maria and Nicolas Otamendi -- didn't see a power line coming his bus' way ... and it almost clocked him and his teammates right in the heads.

It actually ended up clipping Paredes -- who lost his hat in the collision -- but, thankfully, all of the guys were able to move out of the way ... and keep the World Cup party going.

The scene was WILD in Argentina as the guys made their way through Buenos Aires following the close call -- thousands of fans lined streets for the second day since the big win ... this time, with some climbing to the top of the city's Obelisco to cheer on the soccer team.

It was chaos around the guys' bus, too ... as everyone tried to get an up-close look at the new world champs.

Despite the scare earlier in the day and the pandemonium in the streets ... everyone made it back home OK -- including Messi, who took the World Cup trophy with him to bed.

"Buen día!" he said in his caption on the pic.

Thousands of people flooded Buenos Aires streets to celebrate Argentina's World Cup victory on Sunday ... and the wild scene was all captured on breathtaking drone video.

The party went down just minutes after Lionel Messi and the Argentinians beat France in penalty kicks -- with a sea of people packing into the country's capital to celebrate the W.

In the drone footage, you can see fans lining streets for what appeared to be miles ... all going crazy over the big victory.

Some waved flags, some chanted and cheered ... and all, clearly, had a blast.

No word on when -- or if -- the party died down ... but the country's supporters had every right to throw the bash, seeing as it was the nation's first World Cup title since 1986.

The game, meanwhile, is being considered by many to already be the best in W.C. history ... it was a nail-biter that featured 6 goals followed by intense PKs.

Messi scored two total, and buried his lone penalty kick attempt. Later he was given the tournament's Golden Ball -- the award for best player at the event.

Argentina just beat France in what might've been the best World Cup final ever -- a nail-biter that came down to the wire ... and in the end, a good old-fashioned shootout.

The game had everyone at the edge of their seat through the full 90 minutes of regulation -- not to mention the extra 30 minutes that was played after things were left tied at 2-2. Lionel Messi scored Argentina's third goal in extra time, and then Kylian Mbappe responded by tying it up yet again ... sending the match into penalty kicks, where ARG eked it out.

After three straight goals from Argentina -- and two misses from France -- Gonzalo Montiel had a chance to clinch it, which he promptly did by putting the ball in the back of the net. France's goalie, Hugo Lloris, didn't stand a chance ... diving in the other way.

The two stars of each respective team, Messi and Mbappe, scored their penalties ... and the rest of the Argentina squad did their job too. But, two French players screwed the pooch.

It's truly a shame, because Mbappe was literally the only guy on his team to keep them in the fight ... scoring all 3 of France's goals, earning a hat trick and giving his squad the morale to play on. In the end, all that work was squandered away in a virtual crapshoot.

Still, it was an explosive game up until the very end -- with tons of back-and-forth up and down the pitch ... and a lot of great soccer put on display for the entire world.

Sports fans couldn't have asked for anything better, really. This was one for the books, no doubt.

This also serves as a beautiful bow-out for Messi -- who's said to be retiring after this. He's sure to be awarded Player of the Tournament and every other honor available for individual achievement. The guy's a legend, and he went out on top in the World Cup.

Lionel Messi will attempt to win his first-ever World Cup on Sunday, but win or lose, the Argentinian soccer legend is one of the greatest athletes ever, according to fellow countryman, UFC star Santiago Ponzinibbio ... who compared him to America's most legendary athletes.

"I think it's Michael Jordan, these kind of guys. Legends of the sport, all-time. I think Messi is on this level. Michael Jordan. Tom Brady," Ponzinibbio told us, before also throwing out Muhammad Ali's name.

FYI, Santiago, who's coming off a UFC 282 win over Alex Morono, is from La Plata, Argentina ... about 200 miles from Messi's birthplace, Rosario, Argentina.

Of course, 35-year-old Messi, in his last WC, will lead Argentina when they take on Kylian Mbappe and his France squad for the FIFA World Cup Trophy.

According to the oddsmakers and experts, the game is about as close as could be ... though Santiago says he knows who's going to emerge victorious.

"Man, super, super exciting. I told you, I love soccer. Man, I really believe this team is gonna be champion of the world. They're playing so good."

Messi has accomplished nearly everything in the game. He's won a record seven Ballon d'Or awards and has been awarded about every other honor a soccer player could receive ... except that elusive World Cup.

"I think it's the only thing he needs to do to be complete," Ponzinibbio says, adding, "I think he's in the right spot to make history one more time and I'm excited. "

And, as far as worldwide popularity goes, Lionel, with 392 million, blows away some of the U.S.'s biggest and most popular athletes. LeBron James has 139 million Instagram followers. TB12 only has (relatively speaking) 13 million.

It's about to go down between France and Argentina in the World Cup Final on Sunday ... and expect a lot of nervousness in the crowd -- not just from the fans, but the players' WAGS, too!

Lionel Messi's wife will surely be biting fingernails throughout the contest -- the Argentinian model who has over 23 million followers on Instagram has dated the soccer star for YEARS ... and has three kids with him as well.

Rodrigo De Paul's girlfriend, Tini Stoessel, who is an award-winning Argentine singer ... will also be watching on intently.

Fitness model Agustina Gandolfo, who's been dating Argentina striker Lautaro Martinez since 2018, will surely be glued to the TV as well. And, the wives of Argentina stars Emi Martinez and Angel Di Maria will no doubt be watching too.

The France squad's lovers will be rooting their men on as well ... there's Amelia Ossa Llorente -- Lucas Hernandez's wife -- and Erika Choperena, who will probably have the kids decked out in their dad Antoine Griezmann's soccer fit again.

Speaking of kids, you might catch Theo Hernandez's girlfriend Zoe Cristofoli cheering in the crowd ... with their 8-month-old son, TJ.

And, we can't forget star goalkeeper Hugo Lloris ... whose wife, Marine, is a founder and director of a luxury girlswear brand.

Brazil soccer star Richarlison didn't bring home the World Cup this year -- but he did get some new ink ... getting his whole back tatted after the tournament with pics of Ronaldo, Neymar and himself!!!

The prolific goal-scorer got the new tattoo done this week -- just days after the Brazilians were booted from the World Cup tournament by Croatia ... and the work is insane.

In photos shared by the tattoo artists, PK and Dom Tattoo, you can see the ink features portraits of retired footballer Ronaldo and Richarlison's teammate, Neymar, sandwiched between a picture of himself.

The artwork also has a message that was from Brazilian soccer legend Pele -- who left the comment under one of his recent Instagram posts.

"Voce fez o Brasil sorrir," Pele's comment read, which translates to, "You made Brazil smile."

There's also an image of the Brazilian flag and a young Richarlison wearing the No. 9 jersey overlooking the city in the piece.

Of course, Richarlison would rather be in the World Cup finals this Sunday than sitting under the tattoo needle ... as he was the top scorer for Brazil, netting three of the team's eight goals in Qatar.

Morocco's time in the World Cup might be done ... but French Montana made sure this year's team will never be forgotten -- immortalizing the squad with a new song on Wednesday.

The Casablanca native dropped the new tune just before the national team's epic World Cup run came to an end against France ... and it's awesome.

French Montana rapped in fluent Arabic over a dance beat -- and spliced in highlights of the team in the song's music video.

The 38-year-old also included in the vid clips of his wild celebration with fellow Moroccans in Times Square earlier this month.

French had hoped the song would inspire the team against France in the tournament's semifinal game ... but he said he considered a loss still a win for his home country.

"If they lose, they still win because Morocco has never made it this far," French said. "I'm so proud of this team and to call Morocco my home."

Morocco was blanked in their contest with France ... but they still have a chance to win third place in the tournament -- when they take on Croatia on Saturday.

Despite moving on to the World Cup final, not all things went smoothly for Kylian Mbappe on Wednesday -- the France superstar accidentally drilled a fan in the face with a warm-up shot ... and issued an apology immediately afterward.

The incident happened just before France took down Morocco in one of the tournament's semifinal games ... as the 23-year-old phenom was trying to get loose for the important tilt.

Mbappe peppered one of his shots over the goal mount -- and it, unfortunately, nailed a France supporter right in the noggin.

Pictures from the stadium in Qatar showed the guy was in a considerable amount of pain ... but, to Mbappe's credit, he ran over to make sure the dude was OK.

He grabbed the man's arm, and appeared to say he was sorry -- before bolting back to warm-ups.

Of course, we're sure the fan was feeling a whole lot better just minutes later -- 'cause France opened the game against Morocco with a goal in the first 300 seconds of the match.

France went on to win 2-0 -- and will now face Argentina in Sunday's finale.

Grant Wahl's brother is backtracking on his belief the soccer reporter was killed while covering the World Cup in Qatar on Friday ... saying he no longer suspects foul play was involved.

Eric Wahl has been providing updates to his Twitter in the days following the tragedy ... and on Tuesday, he cleared the air on his accusations.

"I no longer suspect foul play," Eric said.

Eric also initially tweeted Grant may have experienced a pulmonary embolism and was in a non-shockable state, but later clarified it was not a PE ... and says the family will release the cause of death in due time.

As we previously reported, Eric shared a heartbreaking Instagram video shortly after the CBS Sports journalist's death last week ... claiming Grant was fully healthy at the time, and refusing to believe he wasn't murdered.

Eric stated Grant was receiving death threats for wearing a pro-LGBTQIA+ shirt in his honor to a World Cup match ... which led to his detainment for nearly 30 minutes.

Grant had disclosed his health issues in the week leading up to his death ... saying he believed he had a bad case of bronchitis, including a "death rattle" of a cough.

Soccer reporter Grant Wahl's body was repatriated to United States soil on Monday ... two days after his shocking death at the World Cup in Qatar.

Department of State spokesperson Ned Price confirmed the news during press briefings just now ... saying U.S. ambassador Timmy Davis has been in constant communication with Wahl's family, and the embassy has been working nonstop to help fulfill their wishes in the days following the journalist's passing.

Price said an embassy consular officer accompanied Wahl's body and possessions to the U.S.

Officials told the AP Wahl's body was taken to JFK airport in New York.

As we previously reported, 49-year-old Wahl died after collapsing in the press box while attending the Argentina vs. the Netherlands match on Friday.

Emergency responders treated Wahl at the stadium for nearly 30 minutes before rushing him to a nearby hospital.

Wahl stated earlier in the week he was battling a bad case of bronchitis ... referring to his cough as a "death rattle."

Wahl's brother, Eric, posted an emotional video to Instagram after his passing ... claiming he believed foul play was involved due to Grant wearing a pro-LGBTQ+ shirt to the U.S. national team's first match last month.

"I do not believe my brother just died," Eric said on Friday. "I believe he was killed."

Wahl was briefly detained prior to the contest ... claiming security told him his shirt was "not allowed."

Chad Johnson is a master in footwork, but his skills certainly don't translate to sandboarding ... 'cause the ex-Bengals star tried out the sport -- and straight-up busted his ass!!

The former NFL wideout is in Qatar covering the World Cup for FOX ... and during a bit of downtime between games, he decided to hit the dunes for a boarding lesson.

The tutorial seemed to go pretty well at first ... but disaster struck as Ochocinco gained momentum going down the hill.

Check out the video -- Chad loses his balance as his speed increases ... and inevitably, it resulted in eating sand.

All appears to be well, though ... and luckily for Johnson, he was able to avoid any serious injury.

Ex-NFL star Fred Taylor commented on Chad's post ... writing, "😂😂😂😂 OH NOOOO OCHO."

Chad, 44, spent 11 seasons in the NFL ... routinely torching defensive backs with his nifty route-running abilities ... but he quickly learned that sandboarding ain't football.

Maybe next time, hit up Tony Hawk first?!? Although, that didn't really help Mike Tyson, either.

Another tragedy has struck the 2022 FIFA World Cup ... Qatari photographer Khalid al-Misslam suddenly passed away while covering the famous soccer event on Saturday.

A local Qatari outlet reports al-Misslam -- who worked for Al Kass TV -- collapsed during the Saturday games and died later in the local hospital.

The cause of his death is unknown at this time.

"Al-Misslam, a Qatari, died suddenly while covering the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022," the Gulf Times said.

"We believe in Allah's mercy and forgiveness for him and send our deepest condolences to his family."

Of course, al-Misslam's death is chilling ... because he's not the only person who has died. A popular American soccer journalist passed away over the weekend at the World Cup.

CBS Sports' Grant Wahl also collapsed ... while working the Netherlands-Argentina match at the Lusail Iconic Stadium on Friday. He passed away after being transported to the hospital by Uber.

The 49-year-old was battling bronchitis but CBS News reports the death to be a heart attack.

But, Grant's brother, Eric, believes there was foul play. He says Grant was receiving death threats after wearing a shirt in Qatar supporting the LGBTQ+ community. Wahl had also been critical of the Qatari government.

Wahl's untimely death has devastated a lot of people ... including LeBron James who said Grant, who wrote his first Sports Illustrated cover story, was "always pretty cool to be around."

French Montana is on top of the world, and it showed as he led a massive Times Square rally to celebrate his homeland of Morocco making World Cup history.

The rapper was a proud cheerleader Saturday evening as he stood on top of scaffolding, waving the Moroccan flag and chanting along with a crowd of thousands who were hyped up about their soccer team defeating Portugal -- sorry Cristiano Ronaldo -- and making it to the World Cup semifinals.

French -- who was born and raised in Casablanca, Morocco until his teen years -- had pure joy written all over his face after watching his Atlas Lions play the Cinderella role.

Morocco is now the first African, and first Arab-speaking country to advance this far in the World Cup tournament -- and they've defeated powerhouse teams like Belgium, Spain, and now Portugal, along the way.

Cristiano Ronaldo was in tears after Portugal's World Cup loss to Morocco this weekend -- which may be the last time he ever makes an appearance in the tournament.

The soccer star visibly wept Saturday after the final whistle in Qatar, this as he made his way off the field and through the tunnel back to the locker rooms. He, like the rest of his team, was clearly upset after the Moroccan National Team knocked them out with a 1-0 score.

Ronaldo actually started on the bench for this game -- just like he did in the last game against Switzerland -- but eventually got subbed into the action in the second half.

Still, he and the rest of the squad went scoreless. Morocco's Youssef En-Nesyri knocked one in in the 42nd minute -- kinda similar to how CR (almost) did against Uruguay a couple games back.

Of course, Portugal tried scoring multiple times ... but Morocco's goalie, Yassine Bounou, was able to keep 'em out. He's being touted as one of the team's heroes.

It's been a rough World Cup for Ronaldo -- not only was he benched these past couple games amid strife with his national team ... but he also broke up with Manchester United after blasting them in a recent interview. He's also said he may retire from the sport soon.

The athletes on the pitch aren't the only ones getting some love at the World Cup this year -- the stunning fans in the stands deserve some shine, too!!

Of course, you've heard of Croatia's #1 backer Ivana Knoll by now, but there are plenty of other beautiful footy fanatics catching everyone's eye among all the countries participating in the event this year.

Iran may be out of the tournament, but they had a ton of support from their lovely fans in Qatar ... and we're sure they helped make the loss to the U.S. sting a bit less.

Japan also made a solid run ... and those who made the trip to watch their country had some fun in the crowd as well, blowing a kiss for the cameras while at the stadium.

The ladies of Argentina were on pins and needles during Argentina's close contest against the Netherlands ... but they'll be back in full force when they take on Croatia in the semis.

CBS Sports journalist Grant Wahl -- one of the most respected soccer reporters in the country -- died while covering the World Cup, his brother announced Friday. He was 49 years old.

Grant was in Qatar when he passed ... and Eric Wahl believes foul play was involved, as he claims the reporter was receiving death threats over wearing a rainbow shirt in support of the LGBTQ+ community.

Eric says Grant had zero health issues ... explaining in a heartbreaking Instagram video, "I do not believe my brother just died. I believe he was killed."

As we previously reported, Wahl was detained for nearly 30 minutes after World Cup security on Nov. 21 ... after he showed up to Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Qatar for the United States' first tournament game against Wales.

To show his support for the LGBTQ+ community in a country where homosexuality is illegal, he wore a shirt with a soccer ball and a rainbow pattern.

At the time, Eric praised his brother and denounced soccer's governing body ... saying, "Shame on @FIFA for losing all control over this corrupt World Cup."

Grant was live-tweeting the Argentina vs. Netherlands game just hours ago ... with his last post coming at 1:05 PM PT.

Eric says he spoke with Grant's wife, Celine, who says he collapsed at the stadium and was given CPR before being Ubered to a hospital, where he died.

Eric added Celine has spoken to Ron Klain, President Joe Biden's chief of staff, as well as the White House.

U.S. Soccer released a statement on Wahl's passing ... saying, "The entire US Soccer family is heartbroken to learn that we have lost Grant Wahl."

"Here in the United States, Grant’s passion for soccer and commitment to elevating its profile across our sporting landscape played a major role in helping to drive interest in and respect for our beautiful game."

"As important, Grant’s belief in the power of the game to advance human rights was, and will remain, an inspiration to all."

Grant's last article on his Substack focused on Qatari officials' apathy toward the rash of migrant worker deaths surrounding the World Cup ... saying, "They just don't care."