NEW DELHI: Lionel Messi shared an emotional message after Argentina’s 0-1 defeat to Spain in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final at the New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday. While admitting that 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 the FIFA World Cup. Substitute Ferran Torres scored the only goal in the 106th minute of extra time to hand La Roja their second World Cup title.Taking to Instagram after the final, Messi thanked Argentina’s supporters and said the team should still be proud of reaching back-to-back World Cup finals.“The pain is immense, and this wound will take time to heal. But I also hold onto all the good things… The matches we turned around by giving it our all – moments that will remain in our memories forever – and the support of an entire country which, combined with this group’s hard work and effort, brought us back among the world’s elite once again. It is hard to fully appreciate our achievement right now, but this group 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 Argentine,” he said.“I also want to congratulate Spain on winning the championship,” Messi added.Despite the heartbreak, the mood in Buenos Aires reflected pride, with fans applauding a team that reached another World Cup final and fought until the very end.

How Spain ended Argentina’s reign

Torres scored his first goal of the FIFA World Cup 2026 at the biggest moment of all, coming off the bench to fire Spain to a 1-0 extra-time victory over Argentina and restore La Roja to the top of world football.The substitute struck in the 106th minute, denying Lionel Messi a second straight World Cup title in what the Argentine captain has indicated was his final appearance at the tournament.Torres reacted quickest to a bouncing ball inside the penalty area and smashed a left-footed shot just under the crossbar to seal Spain’s second World Cup title after their triumph in 2010.