‘The Pain Is Immense’: Messi Speaks After Argentina’s World Cup Final Defeat

Lionel Messi has admitted that ‘the pain is immense’ after Argentina suffered a 1-0 extra-time defeat to Spain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final.

Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal in the 106th minute to hand Spain the trophy, while Argentina played the final stages with 10 men after Enzo Fernández was sent off.

Reflecting on the defeat, Messi acknowledged the immediate disappointment but also urged his teammates and supporters to remember the remarkable journey that took Argentina to a second consecutive World Cup final.

‘The pain is immense and this wound will take time to heal,’ Messi wrote on Instagram.
‘But I also keep all the good things… We showed that we are the best in the world.’

The 39-year-old also praised his teammates and thanked the Argentine supporters for their unwavering backing throughout the tournament.

Despite the heartbreak of losing the final, Messi congratulated Spain on their triumph and reflected on Argentina’s achievement of reaching back-to-back World Cup finals.

‘Today it is difficult to appreciate what we did, but this group reached two consecutive World Cup finals,’ Messi said.

‘I also want to congratulate Spain for the championship.’

Argentina’s defeat was only their second loss across the last two World Cups under Messi’s leadership. Their other defeat came in the opening match of the 2022 tournament against Saudi Arabia.

The Argentine captain also enjoyed another outstanding individual campaign at the 2026 World Cup despite being 39 years old.

Messi scored a hat-trick against Algeria, a brace against Austria and added further goals against Jordan, Cape Verde and Egypt. He also provided crucial assists against Switzerland and England as Argentina progressed to the final.