Lionel Messi's hopes of a dream farewell were shattered as Argentina suffered a 1-0 defeat to Spain in the World Cup final. The 39-year-old Argentine, who had scored eight goals and provided two assists during the tournament, was left in tears as Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal in extra-time. Argentina, playing with ten men after Enzo Fernandez's red card, struggled throughout the match and failed to lay a glove on Spain.
Messi, who dragged Argentina to the final with his exceptional performances, touched the ball only 54 times, with almost half of those coming in extra-time. His influence waned as Argentina were reduced to ten men, and he was left as the lone forward when coach Lionel Scaloni could have brought on fresh legs. This defeat marks Messi's second loss in a World Cup final, following the 2014 loss to Germany.
Despite the loss, Messi's achievement of appearing in three World Cup finals is momentous, matching the feat of Brazil's Cafu. He has now played a record 34 World Cup games across six tournaments and has more than 200 caps for Argentina. This tournament, held in North America, felt like a victory lap for Messi, who scored a hat-trick in the opening game against Algeria. However, Sunday's final proved to be a game too far.
The defeat brings an end to Argentina's bid to become the first team to retain the World Cup since Brazil in 1962. Messi's incredible late career revival with Argentina, which included back-to-back Copa America wins in 2021 and 2024, as well as the 2022 World Cup victory, will be remembered as one of the greatest achievements in football history. However, this final loss may signal the end of his World Cup career, especially as he will be in his 40s by the time of the 2030 tournament.
