Argentina fell one step short of winning a second consecutive World Cup title, but captain and talisman Lionel Messi broke his silence following the loss to Spain.
Lionel Messi speaks after Argentina’s World Cup final defeat (Image: FIFA via Getty Images)
Lionel Messi has written an open letter to Argentina supporters after the country’s bid to become the third consecutive World Cup champion failed.
Messi and the team entered Sunday’s final against Spain as defending champions, following on from their victory in Qatar in 2022. However, Argentina were almost second against Luis de la Fuente’s side, who were dominant from start to finish. Ferran Torres scored the only goal of the game in overtime after Enzo Fernandes was sent off for a momentary frenzy just before regulation time.
There is a good chance that Sunday’s final in New Jersey will be Messi’s last World Cup appearance, at 39 years old.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner broke down in tears after the match as he was serenaded by Argentine fans. Almost 24 hours later, he took to social media to express the pain of the loss and congratulate Spain on their victory.
“The pain is immense. It will take time for this wound to heal. But I also choose to hold on to all the good, all the games I turned around by dedicating everything and moments that will remain in my memory forever.
“I will always remember the work and efforts of this group, as well as the support of the entire country, which has brought us once again among the best teams in the world.
“It’s difficult to assess what we achieved today… but this group truly reached the World Cup final for the second year in a row. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the greetings and all the messages. Once again we were able to come together as a country, to stand together and to share the immense pride of being Argentinians.”
Messi devastated after the final whistle (Image: FIFA via Getty Images)
“I would also like to congratulate Spain on winning the World Cup.”
The aftermath of the World Cup final was marred by ugly scenes of Nahuel Molina and Leandro Paredes shouting abuse at their opponents.
Wayne Rooney condemned their actions, saying: “Does that surprise you? I’m not surprised. We’ve seen something like this before against Argentina. We’ve been through this.”
“That’s not the reaction you want. We saw some of the reaction after we eliminated England in the last round. It’s really sad. When you lose a football match, you walk away gracefully. I really feel sorry for their attitude.”
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