Lionel Messi could have ended all debate over who is the greatest player of all time by winning another World Cup with Argentina on Sunday, but he was left in tears following Spain’s 1-0 win.
Messi, now 39, dragged the holders to another final, scoring eight goals and also providing two assists in the dramatic late comeback against England in the semi-finals.
But the dream of lifting the trophy again, four years after he inspired Argentina to victory in Qatar, ultimately proved too good to be true.
Ten-man Argentina did not lay a glove on Spain at the MetLife Stadium, and were lucky to survive until the 106th minute, when Ferran Torres finally broke the deadlock.
The blunt South Americans struggled throughout the match and faced a huge challenge when Enzo Fernandez was sent off in stoppage time.
The final passed Messi by, and as he broke down in tears it was easy to think that he might have been much better off bowing out on that glorious night in Doha in 2022.
That victory allowed him to emulate Diego Maradona, who dragged Argentina to glory in 1986. But this time he emulated his legendary predecessor in a different way.
Maradona’s Argentina returned to the final as holders in 1990, only to deliver a dreadful, cynical display in losing 1-0 to West Germany, a game they finished with nine men.
They fouled their way through this game too, appearing to have no tactic other than to try to get under Spain’s skin.
Messi touched the ball only 54 times, with almost half of those coming in extra-time, and never looked like scoring the goal that would allow him to equal Kylian Mbappe’s overall World Cup record tally of 22.
Equalling Cafu
It was hard not to come to the conclusion that he ended up hindering his side once they were down to 10 men — he was left as their lone forward, when in any other circumstances coach Lionel Scaloni would surely have sent on the fresh legs of Lautaro Martinez in attack.
Argentina failed to become the first team to retain the World Cup since Brazil in 1962, but this was still a momentous day for Messi.
He became only the second player to appear in three World Cup finals, matching the achievement of Brazil great Cafu.
Pele won three World Cups, but did not play in the 1962 final due to injury. Maradona played in two finals.
If Messi does still have any doubters, they may point to the fact that he has now lost two of his finals, with this defeat following the loss to Germany in 2014.
Sunday’s final took place back at the same stadium where he sensationally announced his retirement from international football aged 29 in 2016.
He had won more than 100 caps by then, and was already regarded as one of the greatest players of all time thanks to his achievements with Barcelona.
A game too far
But with Argentina he had already lost three major finals, including the 2014 World Cup final, when he came to the MetLife Stadium for the Copa America Centenario decider against Chile in 2016.
The game ended 0-0, before Messi missed his penalty in the shootout as Argentina lost again. “For me the national team is over,” he said then.
He went on to enjoy an incredible late career revival with his country, winning the Copa America back-to-back in 2021 and 2024, either side of the 2022 World Cup.
The 2026 tournament in North America felt at first like a victory lap for Messi, as he scored a hat-trick in the opening game against Algeria and the goals kept flowing.
He now has more than 200 caps, and has played a record 34 World Cup games across a joint-record six tournaments.
Surely this will bring the curtain down on his World Cup career, given he will be into his 40s in 2030.
There may, however, be calls for him to keep playing for his country a little longer, especially as he has a contract with Inter Miami until 2028.
It has been a glorious career, but Sunday’s final was a game too far for Messi and Argentina.
