Lionel Messi’s dream came crashing down in just one game. The Argentina captain was unable to increase his tournament total of eight goals as his team faced Spain in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final.
As a result, he finished second in the Golden Boot race, which was won by France captain Kylian Mbappe. In addition to losing out on the Golden Ball, which went to Spain captain Rodri, he failed to lead Argentina to their second consecutive title. Additionally, Messi lost to his rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, in one particular area of the argument due to his failure to score against Spain in the main event.
Messi Could Not Achieve This Ronaldo Feat
There is one area in which Messi has lagged behind the Portugal star, even if he has undoubtedly grabbed the lead overall. Messi, 39, has not scored a goal in competitive games against Spain due to his inability to get the ball past Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon.
Messi has made four appearances against Spain in the history of international football, but three of those matches were friendlies. Messi has only scored once against La Roja in these four games, during Spain’s 2-1 victory in a friendly in 2009. However, Messi has not yet opened his scoring account against Spain in competitive games.
Ronaldo Holds Edge Over Messi
Ronaldo, on the other hand, has made 11 appearances against Spain. Out of these encounters, he has scored four goals in two of them. At the 2018 World Cup, Ronaldo scored his first goal against Spain as he led Portugal to a 3-3 draw with a spectacular hat-trick. In the 2025 Nations League final, Ronaldo also scored against Spain. After a 2-2 draw, Portugal won via a penalty shootout.
In competitive competitions like Euro 2004, the 2010 World Cup, Euro 2012, and the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16, the former Real Madrid and Manchester United player also played against Spain, although he was unable to score in those particular matches.
Spain is still a mystery to Lionel Messi on the biggest stage of the World Cup, but Cristiano Ronaldo has scored there.