‘There’s a lot of pain’: Lionel Messi writes emotional note after Argentina lose FIFA World Cup 2026 final to Spain | Football News

NEW DELHI: Lionel Messi shared an emotional message after Argentina’s 0-1 loss to Spain in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final at the New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday. While admitting the defeat hurt, the 39-year-old said he was proud of what Argentina had achieved during their title defence.Spain ended Argentina’s hopes of becoming the first team in 64 years to successfully defend the FIFA World Cup. Substitute Ferran Torres scored the only goal in the 106th minute of added 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 back-to-back World Cup finals.“The pain is excruciating, and this wound will take time to heal. But I’m also holding on to all the good things… The matches we repeated by giving it our all – moments that will stay in our memories forever – and the support of an entire country that, combined with the hard work and effort of this group, has put us back among the world’s elite once again. It is difficult to fully appreciate what we have done today, but this group has reached two consecutive World Cup finals,” 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 united, sharing the great pride of being Argentine,” he said.“I also want to congratulate Spain for winning the championship,” added Messi.Despite the sadness, the mood in Buenos Aires reflected pride, with fans applauding a team that reached another World Cup final and fought until the end.

How Spain ended Argentina’s rule

Torres scored his first goal of the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the biggest moment of all, coming off the bench to fire Spain to a 1-0 extra-time victory over Argentina and return La Roja to the pinnacle of world football.The substitute struck in the 106th minute, denying Lionel Messi a second straight World Cup title in what the Argentina captain said would be his final appearance at the tournament.Torres was the quickest to react to a bouncing ball inside the penalty area and smashed a left-footed shot under the crossbar to seal Spain’s second World Cup title after their triumph in 2010.