Lionel Messi could not make a difference as Argentina fell to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final in the early morning of July 20.
Throughout the 120 minutes on the pitch, the Argentina captain was almost completely neutralized by Spain’s defense. According to Fotmob, Messi did not score, did not assist, and only put on a rather lackluster performance compared to what he displayed in the previous rounds.
The 39-year-old star only possessed an expected goals (xG) metric of 0.03 and expected assists (xA) reaching 0.04, showing that he was rarely placed in situations to create danger for Spain’s defense. M10 also did not unleash any shots on target or off target, with only one shot blocked by an opposing defender.
In terms of playmaking, the owner of 8 Ballons d’Or executed 34 passes, including 27 accurate passes, reaching a rate of 79%. However, he did not create any goalscoring opportunities for his teammates. These figures reflect the deadlock of Argentina’s attack against Spain’s tight and highly disciplined defensive system.
Facing Spain’s tightly organized defense, Messi constantly had to drop deep to receive the ball and try to connect the lines. Even so, every time he had the ball, M10 was fiercely closed down by the red-shirted players, causing his dribbles and decisive passes to no longer be effective.
Argentina’s difficulties compounded when Enzo Fernandez was sent off after receiving a second yellow card in extra time. Playing a man down at the decisive moment left the South American representative without enough strength to stage a comeback.
Despite having an impressive World Cup, Messi still could not single-handedly save Argentina in the most important match. Against a disciplined and courageous Spain, the reigning champions had to accept defeat, while Messi closed out a forgettable final in helplessness.
