Lionel Messi in Tears as Spain Denies Argentina World Cup Glory

Lionel Messi was left in tears and uncertain about his international future after Argentina’s loss to Spain in Sunday’s World Cup final at MetLife Stadium.

Spain’s Ferran Torres scored 37 seconds into the second extra-time period to secure a 1-0 victory, giving Spain their second World Cup title and preventing Argentina from becoming the first back-to-back men’s champion since Brazil in 1962.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said, “I hope that everyone feels proud of him, of what he’s achieved because he’s the best football player ever stepping foot on a pitch.”

It remains to be seen whether this was Messi’s final game in an Argentina jersey. He previously stated that the 2022 World Cup would be his last before returning at age 39 to become the first man to play in six World Cups last month.

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Scaloni said he had not spoken with Messi about whether the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner would continue with the national team. Messi and the other Argentina players did not stop to speak to reporters as they exited the stadium.

A crowd of 80,663 largely hoped to witness Messi’s coronation as a two-time World Cup champion. Instead, Messi fought back tears and looked visibly distraught as he and his teammates faced Argentina supporters who applauded and bowed while Spanish players celebrated with their trophy at midfield.

Spain dominated the final with a 20-2 advantage in shots and an 845-433 edge in passes. “When you have Messi on the other side, well, you are nervous,” said Torres. “At the end of the day, we always depended on us. We always come up with our football, and we showed it again.”

After leading Argentina to victory in the 2022 final against France and winning consecutive Copa América titles, Messi could only bow his head as Spain’s Lamine Yamal, just days past his 19th birthday, sprinted to embrace Torres after the decisive goal.

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Messi left European soccer for MLS three years ago after winning four Champions League medals and 12 league titles with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. Some speculated his move would lead to retirement, but he instead guided Argentina back to the final with eight goals and four assists, bringing his World Cup career total to 21 goals. France’s Kylian Mbappé surpassed that mark with 22 after scoring twice in Saturday’s third-place match.

Messi became the first player to start three World Cup finals and increased his international goal tally to 125, second behind Cristiano Ronaldo’s 146. Many view this World Cup as having bolstered his standing among the game’s legends, alongside Diego Maradona and Pelé.

During the final, Messi’s trademark slow walk, followed by sudden bursts of pace, drew attention whenever he received the ball on the right flank. Despite that, he recorded only 15 touches in the first half and 54 total in a match played at a venue where he had previously endured disappointment in the 2016 Copa América final before reversing his retirement 47 days later.

Against Spain, Messi did not find opportunities to score, and his passes failed to connect. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said, “The first idea was to keep Messi at bay.”

After the match, several Spanish players approached Messi to console him. He sat on the grass, hands behind him, staring blankly. When Spain later formed a guard of honor as Argentina collected second-place medals, Messi tried but was unable to smile, showing a blank expression as he received pats on the back and chest from his opponents.

As Spain celebrated, gold confetti rained down on their players while Messi walked toward a corner exit of the field, his shoulders hunched and expression somber. Spain became the first nation to hold both the men’s and women’s World Cup titles simultaneously.

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