As the final whistle sounded at the end of the FIFA World Cup 2026 final, Lionel Messi was inconsolable. The Argentina superstar was in touching distance of a historic second World Cup title in what many believe was his last match in the competition.
However, an extra-time goal by Ferran Torres proved to be the winner as Spain went on to become the new world champions. Messi could not control his emotions, and as he looked sadly at his teammates and the crowd, one could not help but feel the weight of the moment.
But just on the other side of the field, Leandro Paredes was involved in a heated brawl as he pushed Eric Garcia to the ground during their spat and was ultimately shown the red card even after the match had ended.
This was Argentina’s World Cup campaign in a nutshell. The story and magic of Messi left everyone stunned, but every win came with a slight blemish – be it the refereeing controversies or the rough style of play that his teammates displayed.
It has been a tournament full of controversies when it comes to Argentina. From the refereeing decisions that majorly impacted their late 3-2 win over Egypt to Messi himself escaping a red card against Jordan, almost every Argentina win came with its own caveat. Although it took nothing away from the masterful display by Messi and Co., the chatter certainly did not help.
While the glimpses of their aggressive brand of football were quite clear against England, it somehow became awfully obvious against Spain. La Roja is known for their possession style of football, and that only led to more frustration for the Argentina footballers. Spain controlled the game from start to finish with more than double the number of passes as their opponent.
Spain kept attacking, and with every passing minute, it looked like Argentina had no response. Messi could only watch as a helpless spectator as Argentina became the first team ever to not register a single shot in regular time of a World Cup final. With the ball not on their feet, Argentina resorted to playing a more physical game, and even that ultimately backfired.
While they had 25 tackles in the match compared to Spain’s 21, Argentina received four yellow cards, and Enzo Fernandez was sent off following a second yellow card. For a team who almost made it a habit to bounce back from the most challenging of situations, it looked like a battle that was too difficult to conquer. While the fouls kept mounting, Spain launched wave after wave of attack, with Nico Williams’ goal getting cancelled but Ferran Torres ending up a national hero on the big stage.
As for Messi, a couple of crosses, a shot that came close to making Unai Simon work, and a failed attempt to get Marc Cucurella sent off – that pretty much summarised his performance.
A whimper of a performance to bookend what has been a stellar World Cup legacy. With eight goals and four assists, the match did little to tarnish his campaign, as his magic will live on through the sensational goal against Egypt and the two assists that dragged Argentina back into the game against England.
However, Argentina are now left to plan a life without the legend. Throughout the tournament, even with the controversies and social media chatter, one thing was common – Messi led the troops by example. Even in matches where all seemed lost, the players rallied around their legend and fought back in a way that often left their opponents scrambling for cover.
Their hero’s journey seems to be over. It is highly unlikely that Messi will play another World Cup, and head coach Lionel Scaloni now faces the challenge of building a new identity for the side. Argentina had the chance to provide the perfect ending for Messi, but after the ill-tempered final and countless controversies, they are now the villains of the saga.