On Sunday, Lionel Messi had the chance to silence all debates about football's greatest ever player by securing another World Cup title with Argentina. Instead, he was left in tears after Spain claimed a 1-0 victory.
Now 39, Messi carried the defending champions to another final, scoring eight goals and two assists, including a late equalizer against England in the semi-finals. However, the star forward’s chances of equaling the feat of his four-year-old self were cut short.
At MetLife Stadium, Argentina, playing with 10 men, struggled to have any meaningful impact on Spain and was lucky to equalize in the 106th minute, with Ferran Torres scoring. The South Americans were ineffective throughout, and it was not until the stoppage time that Enzo Fernandez was shown a red card.
Messi was relatively ineffective in the final, and as the final whistle sounded, many fans wished that he had retired as a champion from Doha, Qatar, after leading Argentina to victory over France and winning the 2022 World Cup. He equalled Diego Maradona’s legendary status by leading Argentina to the title, as he did in 1986. However, Maradona’s 1990 team had returned to defend their crown, only to embarrass themselves in a 1-0 defeat by West Germany.
They played with 10 men as Maradona was sent off, and it seemed that Argentina had no answer to West Germany’s attacks. Similarly, Messi’s men had little response to Spain’s persistent fouls. It was almost as if they had given up trying to keep possession of the ball. The 39-year-old forward had 54 touches, nearly half of which came in the extra time, and he was never close to tying Mbappe’s record of 22 World Cup goals.
Messi equalled Brazil legend Cafu's record of appearing in three World Cup finals.
While Pele won the tournament three times, he missed the 1962 final due to injury, and Maradona played in two finals.
If there is anyone left who believes that Messi isn't the best player in the world, they might be tempted to remind the world that he has now lost two finals, most recently losing to Germany in 2014.
Sunday's final was played out in the same stadium where Messi dramatically announced his retirement from international football in 2016, aged 29.
He had scored more than 100 goals for Argentina by that point, and was hailed as one of the greatest players in the history of the game, following his exploits for FC Barcelona.
He proceeded to score a phenomenal career haul for Argentina, winning the Copa America twice in 2021 and 2024, either side of the 2022 World Cup.
The 2026 World Cup in North America was always likely to be his swan song, but he scored a hat-trick in the opening game against Algeria and seems to be finding a new level of performance.
Having passed 200 caps, he has also appeared in a record 34 World Cup matches across six tournaments.
Messi has scored more than 800 career goals, so he will almost certainly play on until at least 2030, when he will be in his early 40s.
He may even still want to play for his country beyond that, especially as his Inter Miami contract runs until 2028, but Sunday's game is sure to be his final one.
Equalling Cafu
It was hard not to come to the conclusion that he was subbing out his side's best forward when they were reduced to 10 men after he was sent off and in a situation where coach Lionel Scaloni would almost certainly have inserted the energetic Lautaro Martinez in attack had Cafu not been playing.
They failed to become the first team to successfully defend the trophy since Brazil in 1962, but for Lionel Messi it was a day to remember.
One final too many
By then, he had already experienced defeat in three previous finals with Argentina, including the 2014 World Cup, so arriving at MetLife Stadium in 2016 felt like another painful chapter in a recurring story. In the Copa America Centenario decider against Chile, which ended in a 0-0 draw, he scored his penalty in the shootout and then watched helplessly as Argentina were beaten once more on penalties.
"For me the national team is over," he said.
Yet he later experienced a remarkable resurgence with his country, securing consecutive Copa America titles in 2021 and 2024, bookending Argentina’s 2022 World Cup triumph.
Initially, the 2026 tournament in North America seemed poised to be a celebratory farewell for Messi, especially after he netted a hat-trick in the opening match against Algeria and continued scoring consistently.
He now boasts over 200 appearances and holds the record for most World Cup appearances—34 games—across a joint-record six tournaments.
Given he’ll be in his 40s by 2030, this will likely mark the end of his World Cup journey.
Still, there may be growing calls for him to extend his international career, particularly since he remains under contract with Inter Miami until 2028.
It’s been an extraordinary career, but Sunday’s final proved to be one match too many for Messi and Argentina. Yet he later experienced a remarkable resurgence with his country, securing consecutive Copa America titles in 2021 and 2024, bookending Argentina’s 2022 World Cup triumph.
Initially, the 2026 tournament in North America seemed poised to be a celebratory farewell for Messi, especially after he netted a hat-trick in the opening match against Algeria and continued scoring consistently.
He now boasts over 200 appearances and holds the record for most World Cup appearances—34 games—across a joint-record six tournaments.
Given he’ll be in his 40s by 2030, this will likely mark the end of his World Cup journey.
Still, there may be growing calls for him to extend his international career, particularly since he remains under contract with Inter Miami until 2028.
It’s been an extraordinary career, but Sunday’s final proved to be one match too many for Messi and Argentina.
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