EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – For 90 minutes, and another 30 minutes of extra time, the 80,663 fans packed into MetLife Stadium clung to every touch of the ball at Lionel Messi’s feet, hoping the 39-year-old legend would conjure one last bit of iconic magic to cement his legacy as the sport’s undisputed greatest. It was not to be. Two decades after his first World Cup appearance, and fresh off leading Argentina to the 2022 World Cup crown and back-to-back Copa America titles, Messi could not push the Albiceleste over the line to become the first men’s national team to win consecutive World Cup trophies in more than 50 years.
From the opening whistle, Spain controlled every facet of the final. The European side’s signature possession-focused style dominated Argentina from start to finish, out-passing the two-time finalists 845 to 433 and holding a lopsided 20-1 advantage in total shots. Just 37 seconds into the second period of extra time, Ferran Torres found the back of the net, securing a 1-0 win for La Furia Roja and giving the nation its second men’s World Cup title.
The result shifted the global soccer hierarchy. While Spanish stars climbed the podium at midfield to lift the golden trophy, an emotional Messi fought back tears alongside his dejected teammates, bowing to thousands of cheering Argentina fans gathered in the stadium’s south end. The moment served as a quiet passing of the torch: just moments after Torres’ game-winner, 19-year-old Lamine Yamal, widely tipped to be soccer’s next generational superstar, ran across the pitch to celebrate with the goalscorer.
Spain’s dominant run through the entire tournament will go down in World Cup history. La Furia Roja conceded only one goal across their six matches – the lowest total ever for a men’s World Cup champion – and extended their unbeaten streak to 38 games, the longest run ever recorded by a European men’s national side. This historic victory also makes Spain the first country in soccer history to simultaneously hold both the men’s and women’s World Cup trophies, cementing their status as the new global powerhouse of the sport.
For Messi, the match capped off a historic, record-breaking World Cup campaign that defied all expectations. When he left European top-flight soccer for Major League Soccer three years ago, after collecting four Champions League medals and 12 domestic league titles with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, many analysts wrote him off as a fading legend winding down his career. Instead, he dragged Argentina back to the final, netting eight goals and notching four assists in the tournament, pushing his all-time World Cup career goal total to 21 (a record only broken by France’s Kylian Mbappé in the third-place match a day prior).
Messi leaves the tournament as the first player in history to start three World Cup finals, and sits second on the all-time list of men’s international goal scorers with 125, only trailing Cristiano Ronaldo’s 146. For decades, he has been ranked alongside Pelé and Diego Maradona as one of the three greatest players to ever step onto the pitch, and his performance in this tournament only reinforced that standing. Even in defeat, his legendary career remains unmatched.
Messi’s history at MetLife Stadium has long been marked by frustration. It was at this same venue that he dramatically retired from international soccer following a 2016 Copa America final loss to Chile on penalties, only reversing his decision 47 days later to lead Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title. In this final, he managed only 15 touches in the first half, and just 54 total touches across the entire match, with Spain’s defense shutting down every attempt he made to create danger.
When the final whistle blew, several Spanish players crossed the pitch to embrace and console the Argentine legend. Messi dropped to the turf, hands propped behind him, staring blankly into the distance. As Spain formed a traditional guard of honor for the Argentina side to receive their second-place medals, Messi forced a faint smile that faded quickly, walking through the line of Spanish players with an empty expression as opponents patted him on the back and shoulder. As gold confetti rained down on the celebrating Spanish champions, Messi walked slowly toward a corner exit, shoulders hunched, his face etched with disappointment.