Spain’s World Cup triumph produced contrasting scenes at the New York New Jersey Stadium: Rodri and his teammates celebrated a second global title while Lionel Messi struggled to contain his emotions after what could prove to be his final appearance on the tournament’s greatest stage.
Argentina’s attempt to retain the trophy ended in a 1-0 extra-time defeat on Sunday, with substitute Ferran Torres scoring the decisive goal in the 106th minute. Lionel Scaloni’s side had already been reduced to 10 men following Enzo Fernández’s dismissal and could not find a response before the final whistle.
Messi was visibly devastated as Spain’s celebrations began around him. The 39-year-old had been attempting to become the first captain to lead his country to consecutive World Cup titles since Brazil’s Hilderaldo Bellini in 1958 and Mauro Ramos in 1962, but instead finished the night with a runners-up medal.
Amid the celebrations, two Spaniards carrying very different connections to Messi made their way towards the Argentina captain. Sergio Ramos, his former adversary and later teammate, and Lamine Yamal, the Barcelona prodigy whose story has long been linked with Messi’s, were both seen consoling him on the pitch.
Sergio Ramos embraces former rival and Paris Saint-Germain teammate
Ramos attended the final as one of the prominent figures representing Spanish football and was involved in the ceremonial proceedings surrounding his country’s second World Cup victory. Broadcast footage had also captured his animated reaction to Enzo Fernandez’s challenge during the match.
{{/usCountry}}Ramos attended the final as one of the prominent figures representing Spanish football and was involved in the ceremonial proceedings surrounding his country’s second World Cup victory. Broadcast footage had also captured his animated reaction to Enzo Fernandez’s challenge during the match.
{{/usCountry}}Once the contest was over, footage from the pitch showed Ramos approaching the emotional Messi before embracing and speaking briefly with him.
The gesture carried added significance because their relationship has spanned both extremes of elite club football. For more than a decade, Ramos and Messi were central figures on opposing sides of El Clasico, representing Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively in one of the sport’s most hostile rivalries.
That dynamic changed dramatically when they both joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2021. Ramos later described playing alongside Messi as a privilege, while PSG celebrated their transformation “from rivals to teammates”. They spent two seasons together in Paris before leaving the club in 2023.
Lamine Yamal shares emotional full-circle moment with Messi
Yamal also sought out Messi after celebrating the greatest achievement of his young career. The Spanish forward approached the Argentine captain and shared an emotional embrace with him, a moment captured by the official broadcast.
Their connection had become one of the defining storylines before the final. In 2007, a 20-year-old Messi was photographed holding and bathing a five-month-old Yamal during a charity calendar shoot involving Barcelona, local newspaper Sport and UNICEF.
Nearly 19 years later, the child from those photographs helped Spain defeat Messi’s Argentina in a World Cup final.
Yamal’s embrace, therefore, completed another remarkable chapter in the story. Messi had once held him as an infant; on Sunday night, after the younger player became a world champion, it was Yamal who held and comforted Messi at the end of a painful defeat.