‘The pain is immense’: Lionel Messi writes emotional note after Argentina lose 2026 FIFA World Cup final to Spain | Football news

NEW DELHI: Lionel Messi shared an emotional message following Argentina’s 0-1 loss to Spain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final at the New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday. While admitting the loss was painful, 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 FIFA World Cup. Substitute Ferran Torres scored the only goal in the 106th minute of stoppage time to give La Roja their second World Cup title.Taking to Instagram after the final, Messi thanked Argentina fans and said the team should still be proud of reaching back-to-back World Cup finals.“The pain is immense and it will take time for this wound to heal. But I’m also holding on to all the good things… The matches we overturned by doing our best – moments that will remain in our memories forever – and the support of the entire country, which, with the work and effort of this group, brought us back among the world’s elite. It’s hard to fully appreciate our achievement now, but this group has reached two consecutive World Cup finals,” Messi wrote.“Thank you from the bottom of my heart for every greeting and message. Once again we managed to unite as a country and stand together, sharing the immense pride of being Argentines,” he said.“I also want to congratulate Spain for winning the championship,” added Messi.Despite the heartbreak, the mood in Buenos Aires reflected pride, with fans applauding a team that had reached another World Cup final and fought to the very end.

How Spain ended Argentina’s rule

Torres scored his first goal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup 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 summit of world football.The substitute struck in the 106th minute to deny Lionel Messi a second consecutive World Cup title in what the Argentina captain indicated would be his last appearance at the tournament.Torres reacted quickly to a rebound inside the penalty area and fired a left-footed shot just under the crossbar to seal Spain’s second World Cup title since the 2010 triumph.