With Spain’s 1-0 victory over Argentina, the curtain has come down on the 2026 World Cup—and likely Lionel Messi’s time in the biggest football tournament on the planet.
The 39-year-old didn’t bow out to the result he wanted; instead, he melted into the scenery in the 2026 World Cup final. Perhaps the greatest player of all time, on the grandest stage of them all, had just 54 touches, zero shots, and an xG of 0.03 across 120 minutes as Spain was crowned world champion.
Argentina’s top-ticket attraction, a player blessed with the most unbelievable talents, couldn’t carry the performance on his own this time around, much like he had done in La Albiceleste’s tournament up until the climactic game.
Against Cabo Verde in the round of 32, he provided the delivery that resulted in a final-second own goal, sparing Argentina’s blushes and keeping them on the straight and narrow.
In the round of 16, he was instrumental as La Albiceleste turned around a two-goal deficit against Egypt with little over 10 minutes to spare.
With England leading 1-0 with time ticking down in the semifinal, Messi took control of the game and essentially willed his team towards a 2-1 victory.
Even when not at his best, he was still capable of the moments that could turn a game in a moment, creating a little bit of magic in even the most improbable of circumstances.
But Messi’s individual brilliance was ultimately undone by the best team in the competition, and he didn’t have a comparable collection of co-conspirators to call upon.
Spain, the finest chorus line around, regularly passed opponents into oblivion, grinding them down not through solo performances, but through the collective.
In the final, La Furia Roja had 65% possession, 762 accurate passes, 20 shots on goal, and 31 touches in the opposition box. Argentina, by comparison, clocked up 35%, 358, two and eight in those respective categories.
In eight games in North America, the Spain backline—comprising Unai Simón in goal, Pedro Porro at right-back, Pau Cubarsí and Aymeric Laporte at center back, and Marc Cucurella at left-back—conceded just once. That’s not even to mention the work that Rodri did from the center of the park to shield that quintet.
But all that isn’t to say that Spain doesn’t have its own virtuoso. Of course, 19-year-old Lamine Yamal is on course to become the brightest star in the world of football.
He was fantastic in the final, dazzling defenders with his dancing feet, regularly firing on Emiliano Martinez’s goal, and putting in inviting crosses that had to be scrambled away.
While the narrative is meant to be spun as a passing-of-the-torch moment, it was hard to see it as anything but. Messi, for so long instrumental in the team game but also capable of shining moments of individual brilliance, was all alone in the Argentina spotlight, essentially trying to win the World Cup on his own.
Yamal, by contrast, was showing the former Barcelona great exactly how he used to do it, stepping into the GOAT’s shoes and doing a damn fine impersonation. While the starlet often hit high notes, he never did so at the expense of the rest of the cast. Having a surplus of talent around you makes the task that much easier, and Messi was starved of supporting players.
Just look at the goal scorers for Spain in the late knockout rounds for La Furia Roja. Whether it was Mikel Merino coming off the bench or, as on Sunday, Ferran Torres, Spain’s depth, along with its indomitable, classy midfield and impenetrable defense, truly made them the best team throughout the tournament.
When you have a former Ballon d’Or winner in Rodri and what looks to be a future winning one in Lamine Yamal, you have a strong foundation. Add in the rest of the Spanish ingredients, and you have a team so well deserving of winning the World Cup and being crowned as simply the best.
But even in a defeat, you can still admire Messi for the carry job of the Albiceleste. Argentina doesn’t even come close to the Final without their No. 10. It’s a huge credit to him that they were within minutes of taking Spain to the lottery of penalties.
At MetLife Stadium, just 10 miles away from Broadway, Lamine Yamal showed that he has what it takes to become the leading man. Messi, though, will quietly exit through the stage doors, but his name will echo around the auditorium for years to come.
