Lionel Messi leaves the World Cup in tears and as the greatest footballer

Argentina’s Lionel Messi (10) during the World Cup final match between Spain and Argentina in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Sunday, July 19, 2026. (AP Photo) Tears rolled down Lionel Messi’s face as he walked away with a silver medal around his neck. Spain beat Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the FIFA World Cup final, ending the defending champions’ title defense and possibly the last World Cup appearance the game has seen.Twenty years after making his World Cup debut, the 39-year-old failed to produce another miracle. Argentina, chasing back-to-back World Cup titles, were outplayed for a long time by Spain at the MetLife Stadium, where a crowd of 80,663 largely turned out hoping their Messi-ah would lift the trophy again.Instead, it was Spain who were celebrating their second World Cup title.Ferran Torres scored just 37 seconds into the second half of extra time to level the final after Spain had dominated the game from the opening whistle. As the Spanish players celebrated, Messi stood with his team-mates and fought back tears as Argentina supporters applauded them from the stands.With his head bowed and his hands on his hips, Messi watched 19-year-old Lamine Yamal embrace Torres after scoring the winning goal. Moments later, with tears streaming down his face, he collected his second-place medal as Spain celebrated amid confetti and fireworks.“I hope everyone will be proud of him, what he has achieved, because he is the best footballer who has ever stepped on the pitch,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said after the match.The statistics reflected Spain’s dominance in the final. Luis de la Fuente’s team outshot Argentina 20-2 and completed 845 passes to Argentina’s 433. According to Opta, the 18-shot margin was the second biggest in a World Cup final since they were recorded in 1966, behind only West Germany’s 23-1 shot advantage over Argentina in the 1990 final.Spain also succeeded where few teams have ever managed – keeping Messi quiet.“The first thought was to keep Messi at bay,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said.Messi only managed 15 touches in the first half and finished with 54 touches in the match. He never found the space to create the moments that carried Argentina through the tournament. His passes into dangerous areas failed to connect and he rarely got the ball into positions to threaten the Spanish defence. That was not the story of Argentina’s campaign until the final.After leaving European football for Major League Soccer three years ago, some have questioned whether Messi’s best days are behind him. Instead, he led Argentina back to another World Cup final with eight goals and four assists.His eight goals helped Argentina through the group stage and knockout rounds. Against England in the semi-final, he set up both goals in stoppage time. Against Egypt, where Argentina were 2-0 down and facing elimination, he set up the first goal before scoring the equalizer himself.Messi once again demonstrated his ability to influence matches throughout the tournament, despite covering less ground than his team-mates. He walked almost half the time he spent on the pitch, averaging around five kilometers per game, conserving his energy before producing bursts of quality whenever Argentina needed him.However, that moment never came against Spain.If it was his last, then Messi ends his World Cup career with 21 goals, a record that stood until France’s Kylian Mbappe scored twice in a third-place playoff to move to 22. He also became the first player to start three World Cup finals and has 125 international goals, second only to Cristiano Ronaldo on 146.His achievements go far beyond statistics.World Cup winner in 2022. Back-to-back Copa América titles. Four UEFA Champions League trophies. Twelve league titles across spells with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, the only player in football history to win 8 Ballon d’Ors. A career that has placed him alongside Diego Maradona and Pelé in football’s greatest debates.When the final whistle blew, Spain’s players lined up to console him. Some hugged him before Argentina won the silver medals. As Spain formed a guard of honor for second place, Messi tried to smile but couldn’t. His expression barely changed as his opponents patted him on the back as he walked to the podium.If this was indeed his last appearance on football’s biggest stage, it ended without the fairytale ending many had hoped for.It wasn’t because Messi couldn’t try. Spain simply did not give him any room to operate. Their midfield, led by Rodri, controlled possession, limiting Argentina’s attacks and preventing Messi from dictating play as he has done throughout the tournament.The final may not have produced the ending he wanted, but that will do little to change how his career will be remembered.Maybe it wasn’t the ending Messi envisioned. It doesn’t even have to be the end. Whether or not this turns out to be Messi’s last appearance at the World Cup remains to be seen when he decides. But if this was his last image on football’s biggest stage, it was one of tears, not triumph.But a defeat in New Jersey cannot reverse a career that has already secured a place among the greatest the sport has known. If this is to be his tearful sign, fans will still look back on the fact that they were blessed with the greatest football player of all time.