Lionel Messi’s Argentina face Spain’s cool machine in World Cup final rich with personal twists
Sign up now: Get the biggest sports news in your inbox
Argentina’s Lionel Messi (left) and Spain’s Lamine Yamal celebrating World Cup semi-final success with their teammates.
PHOTOS: REUTERS
- Argentina and Spain will meet in the World Cup final, showcasing a clash between passionate, fiery Argentina led by Messi and the precise, controlled Spanish team.
- Argentina’s journey has been tough, relying on Messi’s skill and determination to overcome strong opponents and defend their title amid challenges.
- Spain, unbeaten in 37 matches, rely on teamwork and youth talent like Lamine Yamal, facing conditions that may disrupt their style against Argentina’s emotional play.
AI generated
NEW YORK – Argentina and Spain were set to meet in the Finalissima between the champions of South America and Europe earlier this year, before US-Israeli strikes on Iran forced the match to be cancelled.
On July 19 in New Jersey, they will finally clash with rather more than ceremonial silverware at stake.
The World Cup final offers football’s grandest stage a deliciously odd pairing – Argentina, all pulse, fire and Lionel Messi, against Spain, who appear to treat chaos in the calmest of ways and have turned control into something close to an art form.
It is South America v Europe, passion v precision, a match threaded with curious personal history, from the touchline to La Masia, where Barcelona’s greatest graduate, Messi, will face teenager Lamine Yamal, the academy’s dazzling young heir.
Argentina are back in the final four years after their cathartic triumph in Qatar. Then, with Messi aged 35, another World Cup final seemed fanciful. Now, he is still defying time, defenders and doubt.
Coach Lionel Scaloni has urged fans to make the most of seeing the superstar lead his team out once more in another World Cup final.
“He has made history. He is a legend,” he said of Messi, who has scored eight goals at this World Cup, which is his sixth, and is the tournament’s all-time top scorer with 21.
“It fills me with pride because he is the best player in the history of football. To have been able to get to a final in the way that he has in this moment, at the age of 39, I think it is incredible.
“That is why I said we should enjoy having him, because look at what happened with Diego (Maradona) and how we ended up missing him.”
Messi has indeed been a saviour throughout Argentina’s campaign, which has been less a smooth title defence than a pilgrimage through suffering.
They have reached the final the hard way – beating little Cape Verde in extra time and surviving nerve-shredding clashes with Egypt, Switzerland and England.
They have played at times like a team with their hearts on the toe of their boots, powered by Messi’s goals, assists and flashes of sorcery.
The reason for that?
Scaloni added that Argentina are being driven to bring the trophy home again by their fans.
“You see your people, how they celebrate, how they are happy... it’s impossible for it not to touch your heart,” he said.
That they are defending their title had led some pundits ahead of the tournament to speculate they might not fight so hard this time, yet time after time Argentina have come back from early setbacks, cheered on by their fanatical supporters.
“We play for them, the team plays for the country, for their family,” Scaloni said. “The fans of (domestic rivals) Boca and River hug and celebrate together in front of the TV – how can that not affect you?”
Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez agreed.
“The fans are absolutely crazy, different to other countries, seeing them celebrate at 2am in the cold Argentine weather means a lot,” he said. “We are going to do our best to bring back the cup to our country.”
Argentina will be wary that Spain’s passing and positional play can suffocate, but within the machinery there is wild invention too, and most of it comes from Yamal.
The winger, who enchanted the European Championship in 2021 as a 16-year-old, has spent his career ripping age records and expectations. Since making his Barcelona debut at 15, he has invited comparisons with the most famous La Masia product – the man facing him on July 19.
Besides Messi and Yamal, the final could be shaped by conditions.
The New Jersey pitch has not been kind to possession teams. That could complicate Spain’s rhythm and invite Argentina into the kind of broken, emotional contest they relish.
The weather may add another layer of intrigue. A hot and humid day is expected, with temperatures around 30 deg C. Wildfire smoke from Canada has also raised concerns.
For Spain, the task is to keep the match clean, controlled and played to their patterns. For Argentina, it is to turn discomfort into theatre one more time.
At the centre of it all stands Messi, trying to ensure that what could be his last World Cup match ends not as a farewell, but as one final act of mastery. REUTERS, AFP