‘Your tears are our tears, Captain’: Messi’s World Cup farewell ends in heartbreak

Lionel Messi’s bid to end his World Cup career with back-to-back titles ended in heartbreak on Sunday as Argentina lost 0-1 to Spain after extra time in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final.

The 39-year-old Argentina captain struggled to hold back tears after collecting his runners-up medal, with images of the emotional Messi quickly spreading across social media.

Substitute Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal in the 106th minute, ending Argentina’s reign as world champions and denying Messi a final World Cup triumph in what is widely expected to be his last appearance at the tournament.

Cameras later showed Messi looking into the crowd as he appeared to process the defeat. The emotional scenes prompted a tribute from the Argentine Football Association (AFA).

“Your tears are our tears, Captain. You gave us the greatest joys of our lives. Thank you for the dedication, for the magic, and for giving it your all until the very last second. We love you forever, Leo!” the federation wrote on X.

The defeat marked the end of one of the most significant eras in Argentina’s football history. Messi helped lead the country to the 2022 World Cup title and returned for one final tournament at the age of 39, only to see the chance of another championship slip away in extra time.

The final also ended with tensions boiling over. After the whistle, players from both teams became involved in a heated confrontation near Spain’s penalty area, with Argentina’s Leandro Paredes shown a red card after the scuffle.

Amid the celebrations and chaos, attention eventually turned back to Messi.

The Argentina captain stood with his hands near his face, visibly emotional. Spain’s players, including Rodri and Pedri, approached to embrace and console him, a poignant moment as Messi’s World Cup journey appeared to come to an end.

Spain, meanwhile, celebrated a second World Cup title after a tournament in which they had established themselves as the standout team. Torres’ extra-time strike not only secured the trophy but also delivered the defining moment of a final that ended one era while signalling the beginning of another.

Messi did leave the tournament with a personal achievement, finishing as the second-highest scorer with eight goals. But the Golden Boot went to France star Kylian Mbappé, who topped the scoring charts with 10 goals — beating Messi to the award at consecutive World Cups.