Lionel Messi's World Cup fairytale ended in a pitiful 1-0 defeat to Spain on Sunday at New York New Jersey Stadium, as Argentina failed to register a single shot in regular time, becoming the first team in World Cup final history to do so. The defeat marked a stark contrast to the entertaining, dramatic performances that had carried La Albiceleste through the tournament.
Argentina's worst instincts emerge in final
Playing on the grandest stage for the last time, Messi seemed poised for one final memorable moment. Yet as the sun ducked behind the west stand, Spain gradually wrested control, leaving observers to confront reality: Messi and Argentina had finally run out of time, having long since given in to their worst instincts. The final presented a stark contrast to the Argentina observed in every other match of the tournament, where they offered a masterclass in dramatic timing, twice nearly eliminated by badly outmatched opponents.
Finals are frequently forgettable, but even by that lowly standard, the pacing felt dreadful. Spain were suffocating defensively and, after a forgettable first half, worked their way into the match in the second 45, eventually breaking through in extra time. Argentina became the first team in the near century-long history of the tournament to fail to record a shot in regular time of a World Cup final. Even when handed an additional half hour, they never threatened.
Messi's legacy remains untarnished
Until this final, Messi had presented observers with one of the rarest opportunities in professional sport: a chance to witness greatness free of stakes, entirely devoid of any real pressure to perform. At 39, Messi has done his time, and nobody could criticize his collection of hardware. This defeat does nothing to sully a spotless legacy; a win would have only strengthened his claim as the greatest player in the history of the sport. To some Argentinians, the victory against England in their semi-final likely carries nearly as much weight as a victory in the final would have.
Yet Messi was rarely involved in this match, a far cry from the player who sometimes carried his team this summer. Much of this is down to a Spain masterclass in defending. But give Spain their due: they badly outclassed Argentina in every way, neutralizing even Messi. By the end, Argentina had become what so many observers pegged them to be in the first place, sometimes unfairly: underhanded, dirty and desperate.
Messi's World Cup journey ends
Time has almost always been irrelevant to Messi on the field, because he so frequently bends it to his liking to elude defenders. The manner in which he performs at age 39 has a similar effect, tearing open a rift in time itself and transporting observers back to his glory days at Barcelona and elsewhere. Yet now we are left to face the unmistakable reality that Messi is done with the World Cup—this is what was said after he led Argentina to their first World Cup in nearly four decades in 2022 and what was assumed in 2016, when Messi briefly retired from the national team after Argentina's defeat in the Copa América final.
It remains to be seen how Argentina's performance will be perceived back home, where expectations were understandably high. The head coach, Lionel Scaloni, and even Messi had spoken at length before the final about how much they had already achieved. This final result, they implied, would do little to sully that sense of accomplishment. This was before they took the field and more or less destroyed the game.
Scaloni's legacy secure but opportunity lost
Scaloni's legacy, like Messi's, was secure before this final, the coach having brought Argentina a third World Cup and a pair of Copa América titles, but this was a lost opportunity to solidify it. Two things can coexist: Scaloni is almost without question Argentina's greatest coach, and this was one of his worst results and performances. What feels much more real is a sense of loss and disappointment after this pitiful final performance, which provided Argentina—and Messi—with a perfect opportunity to put the finishing touches on their fairytale. Instead, they turned from hero to villain—and needlessly so.
