Was that Messi's last Argentina match?

Messi played 120 minutes, managed just one shot

FE Team | Published: July 20, 2026 22:31:04

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., July 20 (Agencies): A few minutes after 6 p.m., Lionel Messi sat on the grass at MetLife stadium, his legs splayed in front of him, and took in the scene. Across the way, Spain was celebrating, having just beaten Argentina 1-0 in extra time of the World Cup final. Messi had played all 120-plus minutes, about a month after his 39th birthday.
After what seemed like every player from Spain came over to shake his hand, Messi sat alone on the pitch.
Argentina's superstar took off his cleats and shinguards and plopped his legs out in front of him, leaning back on his arms. As FIFA volunteers assembled the stage for the trophy presentation, one of them waved in his direction. Messi looked past him, instead scanning the stands for his family.
Spain had just defeated defending champion Argentina 1-0 to win its second-ever World Cup behind a goal from Ferran Torres in the second half of extra time. Messi and his La Albiceleste had arrived in pursuit of history, hoping to become the first nation since Pelé's Brazil to successfully win a second consecutive World Cup title.
No such luck. Argentina finished with zero shots on goal. Spain had 12 and one went in.
"We're sad," Argentine manager Lionel Scaloni said in his press conference after the match. "We feel extremely grateful to all our fans, all those people who just needed that energy that we were lacking. We managed to go all the way to the end when the match was so open, and it just couldn't be. In the end, they deserved the victory. That's reality. We need to accept it. "But these are the moments to bounce back stronger. We need to reset and start again." Argentina's reign is officially over. It entered this summer on an unprecedented high as the two-time defending Copa América champion, having won the tournament in 2021 and 2024 with the 2022 World Cup sandwiched in between. It was also Argentina's third World Cup final appearance in the last four editions.
For Messi, there was an added layer of symbolism as he spent much of his life in Spain, where he became a global icon playing for Barcelona. So, will this be the last time the soccer world sees Messi on its biggest stage? Who knows. Regardless of what he decides, the 39-year-old defied age over the past 39 days. He opened the tournament with a hat trick in Argentina's 3-0 victory over Algeria, scored a stunning equalizer in the round of 16 against Egypt and delivered two defense-splitting assists in the semifinal against England. He finished with eight goals and four assists, narrowly missing out on the Golden Boot after France's Kylian Mbappé scored twice in Saturday's third-place match to finish with 10. Monday (as per BST) was different. With Spain controlling possession for long stretches, Argentina was chasing rather than dictating and Messi didn't have opportunities to influence things the way he had throughout the tournament. An already exhausted La Albiceleste was forced to play with 10 men for more than 30 minutes after Enzo Fernández was shown a red card just before extra time. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, the 2022 Golden Glove winner, had to make a World Cup final-record 11 saves with a broken finger just to keep La Roja at bay.