Mondial-2026: Lionel Messi, finale fantomatique sur un gazon maudit
A shining star until Sunday, Lionel Messi went through the 2026 World Cup final against Spain like a shadow, non-existent and harmless, on the cursed turf of the MetLife Stadium where he had (briefly) said goodbye to the national team ten years earlier.
When Ferran Torres found the opening and celebrated like a devil (106th, 1-0), the little genius was alone near the halfway line, head down and his dream gone, at the end of a match in which he never really existed.
Messi collected his silver medal and stood, in tears and motionless, before the section of Albiceleste supporters who chanted his name fervently, even after the final whistle.
It is a very sad end for the Argentinian captain, a monster of longevity and elegance with the ball at his feet, unable this time to start a revolt, despite a more noticeable presence in extra time.
The Albiceleste's conductor played a magnificent game throughout the World Cup, his sixth personally, racking up goals (eight) and assists (four) at the age of 39.
But it ended on a sour note, his magic touch completely overwhelmed by the relentless Spanish juggernaut. Argentina didn't manage their first shot until the 120th minute, and Messi only touched the ball 54 times – a drop in the ocean for the playmaker.
The sending-off of his lieutenant Enzo Fernandez, just before extra time, certainly didn't help. However, nothing had been done beforehand to suggest a final flash of brilliance.
The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, as usual, left the pressing to his attacking partner, Julian Alvarez, to focus on what he does best: scanning the field in search of the small space left open, to rush into it and unleash his powerful runs or magical kicks.
However, La Roja is known for covering the field like no other and starving opponents of good balls, as Les Bleus bitterly experienced in the semi-final (2-0).
In the first quarter of an hour, he only touched the ball once: at the kick-off. He went into the dressing room at halftime with fifteen touches, none of them in the penalty area.
This reduced, or even non-existent, influence is not a first in this North American World Cup, where in knockout matches he has been accustomed to being discreet at first, then striking hard at the end.
"We haven't seen anything from Messi so far, but we all know, and Spain knows it too, that if he has 'this' opportunity, he might well take it," commented former England international Alan Shearer on BBC One, a quarter of an hour before the end of regulation time.
His observation couldn't have been more accurate, but subsequent events proved him wrong. It was an off day for Messi and his teammates.
The former brilliant dribbler of FC Barcelona could draw a line under his amazing international career (125 goals in 207 selections) in the Metlife stadium in the New York suburbs, as he had already done in 2016, before reversing his decision shortly afterwards.
He made this announcement on June 26, 2016, at only 29 years old and after yet another disappointment with the national team: a defeat against Chile in the Copa America final, after a missed penalty kick.
"The national team is over for me, this is the fourth final I've lost, the third in a row," he explained, referring to the defeats in the final of the 2014 World Cup against Germany (1-0), in extra time, and then the Copa America 2015 and 2016.
The entire country had begged him to return, from then-President Mauricio Macri to the legend Diego Maradona, not to mention Enzo Fernandez who, as a teenager, had written him a letter requesting it. Messi changed his mind 47 days after his surprise announcement.
Since then, the current Inter Miami player has won two Copa America titles (2021 and 2024), a Finalissima against the European champion (Italy in 2022) and a World Cup (2022). But not two.
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