NEW DELHI: Lionel Messi shared an emotional message after Argentina’s 0-1 loss to Spain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final at the New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday. Despite admitting the loss was painful, the 39-year-old said he was proud of Argentina’s achievements during their title defence.Spain ended Argentina’s hopes of becoming the first team in 64 years to defend well FIFA World Cup. Substitute Ferran Torres scored the only goal in the 106th minute of extra time to give La Roja their second World Cup title.Taking to Instagram after the final, Messi thanked Argentina’s supporters and said the team should still be proud of reaching consecutive World Cup finals.“The pain is great, and this wound will take time to heal. The match we turned around by giving it all – moments that will remain in our memories forever – and the national support that, combined with the team’s hard work and the team’s hard work, brought us back among the world’s elite. It’s hard to appreciate what we’ve done right now, but this team reached the final of the World Cup twice in a row,” wrote Messi.“Thank you from the bottom of my heart for every greeting and message. Once again, we were able to unite as a nation and stand together, sharing the great pride of being in Argentina,” he said.“I also want to thank Spain for winning the tournament,” added Messi.Despite the heartbreak, the atmosphere in Buenos Aires exuded pride, with fans applauding a team that reached the World Cup final and battled to the finish line.
How Spain ended Argentina’s rule
Torres scored his first goal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the biggest moment, coming off the bench to fire Spain to a 1-0 win over Argentina and restore La Roja to the top of world football.The substitute struck in the 106th minute, denying Lionel Messi a second consecutive World Cup title in what the Argentina captain marked as his final appearance at the competition.Torres was quick to react to a diving ball inside the penalty area and smashed the left-footed shot under the crossbar to seal Spain’s second World Cup title after winning in 2010.
