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Lionel Messi has broken his silence after Argentina fell to Spain in the World Cup Final.
On Sunday, Spain secured a tight 1-0 win over 10-man Argentina in a largely uneventful World Cup Final at MetLife Stadium. Ferran Torres came off the bench to score the winning goal as the European champions clinched World Cup glory after Enzo Fernandez's red card.
As the seconds ticked away in Argentina's match against Spain, Messi, who was savagely yanked back by Donald Trump in an excruciating moment, was clearly distressed and admitted defeat while his teammates sparked an on-field fight that saw Leandro Paredes sent off after full-time.
He was seen rubbing his hair with his hands on his hips, looking down at the ground. It comes as a lip reader exposed Gianni Infantino's desperate plea to Trump that he ignored in a humiliating moment.
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While he did congratulate Spain's players, it was clear the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner was devastated. Messi, who was left in tears at full-time, has now spoken for the first time. He took to Instagram to write: "The pain is immense, and this wound will take time to heal.
"But I also hold onto all the good things... The matches we turned around by giving it our all—moments that will remain in our memories forever—and the support of an entire country which, combined with this group's hard work and effort, brought us back among the world's elite once again. It is hard to fully appreciate our achievement right now, but this group reached two consecutive World Cup finals. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for every greeting and message. Once again, we managed to unite as a country and stand together, sharing the immense pride of being Argentine.
"I also want to congratulate Spain on winning the championship."
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Messi starred for Argentina this summer, scoring eight World Cup goals and providing two assists during the great escape against England in the semifinals. Argentina was 1-0 down with five minutes remaining, but Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez both scored from Messi assists to advance to a third World Cup Final of his glittering career.
However, the 2026 final went the same way as 2014, when Mario Gotze came off the bench to win the World Cup for Germany. Argentina endured many comebacks on the run to the final, but Spain proved a step too far, forcing the South Americans to resort to a disappointing performance before Donald Trump in New York/New Jersey.
Spain finished the World Cup with just one goal conceded, a new record. Belgium was the only team to score past Unai Simon, doing so in a 2-1 quarterfinal defeat.
While Messi was left devastated after what could have been his final World Cup, he won the trophy for the first time in 2022. The 39-year-old led Argentina to a dramatic win over France on penalties in Qatar.
Messi will retire with a World Cup honor to his name, no matter what. But Argentina barely showed up against Spain, and given how well Emi Martinez played it was a missed opportunity for La Albiceleste. And for Messi.
It came as Argentina committed one final unsportsmanlike act during Spain's medal ceremony.
