EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Lionel Messi rarely loses. Spain will never lose.
That’s the way things are these days, anyway. best players in soccer and Powerful soccer team It’s scheduled to crash on Sunday. world cup finals Perfect for the biggest stage in the sports world. Messi and Argentina will face Spain, who have been unbeaten in 37 games since the beginning of 2024.
For Spain, this is a chance to win the World Cup for the second time after 2010, cementing their status as the undisputed dominant force at the moment. This is Argentina’s chance to win back-to-back Men’s World Cups for the first time since Pele and Brazil did it in 1958 and 1962. And for Messi, write the perfect ending He has indicated that this will be his last appearance for the national team.
“We’ll see a great game on Sunday,” said Spain national team coach Luis de la Fuente. He led the team to a 28-0-9 record with this undefeated streak. “Two great national teams, two super teams in my opinion, are very similar in some ways in terms of attitude and the talent of the football players. I think it will be a great final.”
At its simplest, this matchup looks like the best player versus the best team.
It’s actually more than that.
Messi and the history of Spain
Messi was born in Argentina, but he has a history there, considering he spent part of his youth and most of his club career in Spain and was eligible to play for the Spanish national team. Spain tried to persuade Messi many times. He never wavered.
Sunday will be his first match against Spain since the 2010 friendly in which Argentina routed the reigning World Cup champions. He clearly understands the high stakes involved in this game, and insists his approach is simple: spend a Sunday afternoon with friends and kick the ball around, despite 80,000 people in the stadium and perhaps around 2 billion people around the world watching.
And there’s also an amazing storyline about how Messi and Spanish star Lamine Yamal, The pair, who were photographed together nearly 20 years ago when Yamal was a baby, will share the pitch at the World Cup final.
“We grew up playing soccer with a passion and were eager to play,” Messi said in his native Spanish. “We played everywhere. We played on the street. We played in school. We played on a team. We didn’t think about pressure. It was just a natural play.”
But there will be pressure on Sunday and it will be a lot. Win or lose, Argentina knows this is likely the end of Messi’s blue and white era.
Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni said, “He is the best soccer player the world has ever seen.”
Messi’s short-lived retirement
It wasn’t always like that. Going back 10 years, such a streak of winning the Copa America in 2021, winning the World Cup in 2022 and winning the Copa America again in 2024 almost never happened for Argentina.
Messi retired from the national team in 2016. This was after the Argentina national team lost to Chile on penalties in the Copa America final that year. One of them had failed. Fortunately for everyone involved, the resignation lasted only a few weeks. However, he was tired of always underachieving in the national team’s big matches and was ready to leave the national team at the age of 29.
“It’s over,” Messi said that night at MetLife Stadium, and it was just a coincidence. become a site This World Cup final.
Of course, he wasn’t finished. He went on to star for Barcelona, then Paris Saint-Germain and then Inter Miami. He’s a two-time Most Valuable Player in Major League Soccer, the star of that league’s reigning champions, and still someone who can generate goals with virtual ease in big moments.
“He’s just history,” Scaloni said. “History. Legend.”
Spain follows the history of defense
Spain is also following history. ‘Red’ La Roja are the natural favorites to win on Sunday, having conceded just one goal in their first seven games of this competition. Spain did not fall behind even for a second in this World Cup. Argentina were at a disadvantage for more than 100 minutes, including stoppage time.
A defensive performance like this would never happen, even in the World Cup. Three teams have won the title in this tournament, conceding a total of two goals: Spain in 2010, Italy in 2006, and France in 1998. This Spanish team intends to achieve even more.
“Argentina is much more than Messi,” Spain captain Rodri said. “They have proven that they are a very complete team with top players. … We are the best two teams to play together as a group. Of course we have to look out for Leo, but also a lot of other players.”
So, there are two. The 104th and final match of the biggest World Cup in history, featuring 48 teams across the United States, Canada and Mexico, pits the defending champion and heir apparent, the game’s biggest star against those who worshiped him and can now end his reign.
it was It’s not a World Cup without its challenges. The tournament was fraught with geopolitical discomfort and controversy. iran team FIFA faces onerous travel restrictions because it is at war with the United States, and there has been criticism of FIFA for lifting American stars. Folarin Balogun receives red card and suspension The UK government wants to present the trophy following a request from President Donald Trump, who will be present at Sunday’s match to present the trophy. Argentina national team investigation After the semi-final victory over England, players posed with a banner asserting sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.
But in the end, as always, the World Cup ends with one side celebrating and the other devastated.
“They all have their strengths, and so do we,” Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez said. “I want it to be a historic final.”
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AP Sports Writer Stephen Wyno in New York contributed.
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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here
