Spain’s head coach, Luis de la Fuente, praised his squad for achieving what he termed their “It was written, and we deserve it,” with a second World Cup title, overcoming a 10-man Argentina in the final.
Despite being outplayed for much of the match, Spain secured victory when substitute Ferran Torres netted during the second half of extra time. Earlier, Nico Williams had a goal ruled out in the first extra period, and Enzo Fernández joined the ranks of World Cup final send-offs after receiving a second yellow card in the 93rd minute.
Argentina attempted to level the score after Torres’ goal, but even with Lionel Messi’s previous heroic performances in the tournament, he could not spark a comeback, leaving them unable to be the first team to defend their title since Brazil in 1962. Messi’s failure to score meant Kylian Mbappé clinched the Golden Boot with a total of 10 goals.
Ultimately, Spain’s formidable defense played a crucial role, allowing just one goal in eight matches, with Unai Simón earning the best goalkeeper award and young defender Pau Cubarsí recognized as the tournament’s best young player. Rodri of Manchester City was awarded the Golden Ball.
“This team and this wonderful fanbase deserve everything. We had a date with destiny and we wanted to make it count. “The players have asked me what we have left to win. Together we’ve figured out that it’s the next match in September [against England in the Nations League] because this team is tireless.” expressed a thrilled De la Fuente, who has guided Spain to European titles at various levels prior to this achievement. “It’s for 47 million people. I want to grab the cup and squeeze it. In the end, when you’ve got Messi on the opposing team, you do get a bit nervous, but we always try to play our own game.”
“It hurts my soul. I’m sorry,”
While Álex Baena and Marc Cucurella are excited to get tattoos as mementos of Spain’s triumph, the 65-year-old De la Fuente, who made history as the oldest manager to win a World Cup, humorously stated he had no such intentions. “I have to be honest and say that I have to take time and think about the future, because I’m not sure this kind of group can be assembled again.” he remarked.
Torres, who mirrored Andrés Iniesta’s extra-time goal from the 2010 World Cup final, struggled to fathom his achievement. “At 39 years old, it’s an incredible thing. He is going to play as long as he wants. He’s the best player to ever set foot on a field. What he did in this World Cup is incredible.” the Barcelona forward said. “It’s for 47 million people. I want to grab the cup and squeeze it. In the end, when you’ve got Messi on the opposing team, you do get a bit nervous, but we always try to play our own game.”
Post-match, tensions flared as Leandro Paredes pushed Eric García and appeared to strike Gavi while he was down, prompting a red card from the Slovenian referee. Following this, Argentina’s players turned away as Rodri received the trophy from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Argentina’s coach, Lionel Scaloni, who previously led his team to victory over France in the 2022 final, became emotional during his press conference, unable to confirm his future beyond the expiration of his contract at the end of the year.
“It hurts my soul. I’m sorry,” he admitted. “I have to be honest and say that I have to take time and think about the future, because I’m not sure this kind of group can be assembled again.”
When asked about Messi’s potential retirement, he remarked, “At 39 years old, it’s an incredible thing. He is going to play as long as he wants. He’s the best player to ever set foot on a field. What he did in this World Cup is incredible.”
