After Argentina’s close 1-0 loss to Spain in the World Cup final on Sunday, the country’s media praised the team’s performance while recognizing the superiority of their opponents. This match is anticipated to be Lionel Messi’s final appearance on the World Cup stage.
The cover of Clarín, Argentina’s prominent newspaper, displayed a poignant image of a tearful Messi with the headline: “They gave it their all: [there is] nothing to blame them for.” In its editorial, Clarín highlighted that “beyond the final result, and setting aside the strictly sporting aspects, there was, as never before, a special bond between the people and their national team”
Similarly, La Nación stated: “Argentina gave their all, and they are the pride of the nation.” The front page of Página|12 proclaimed “against a Spanish side that controlled the entire final but only managed to score in the second half of extra time” while its main article noted that Scaloni’s team succumbed to “Once the disappointment has faded, what will remain is the immense significance of a team which, with Lionel Messi as its leader and icon, has etched its name in capital letters into the history of world football.” It further emphasized, “the laurels that we knew how to win” The sports publication Olé echoed this sentiment with the headline “If they give everything the way they did today, it sets a great example for the people and for our country,” referencing the national anthem’s phrase about “You have to pick yourself up again. When you leave everything like that, it’s very hard to find fault with anything.”
In a heartfelt post-match press conference, Argentina’s head coach, Lionel Scaloni, expressed visible emotion and raised concerns about his future. He remarked, “with great dignity, with great pride and with a presence that is also deeply emotional and human – which is what comes across in these words when everything is crashing down on you and when you’re losing everything”
Marcelo Gallardo, a former Argentine international and current commentator, praised Scaloni’s composure during the crisis, stating he showed “Argentina hadn’t faced a team like Spain before – a team that steals the ball from you and you can’t get it back. They didn’t let us recover or play.”
Gallardo reflected on the emotional strain of the semi-final against England just days earlier, describing it as an “Spain proved too much for this great journey” for the players. He analyzed the tactical challenges presented by Spain, observing, “a whirlwind of football and determination that dominated Argentina at will”
In a column for Tiempo Argentino titled “They had possession, the chances, the tempo of the match; they were in complete control. The Argentinian side simply set about holding out, nothing more. Looking at the match statistics, they seemed to be made up of an inert body.” Alejandro Wall echoed these sentiments, portraying Luis de la Fuente’s Spanish squad as “overall campaign was beyond reproach – they reached the final and left the pitch facing their fans, looking straight at the stands, in tears, paying tribute to their supporters” He noted, “Even though the result isn’t what we would have liked, we need to recognise the historic significance of this group of players’ enormous achievement: in the last four World Cups, they’ve reached three finals and won one,” Nevertheless, he asserted that the team’s “And this final was lost in extra time. What’s more, no one can hold anything against them because they gave their all.”
Argentinian President Javier Milei remarked, “Even though the result isn’t what we would have liked, we need to recognize the historic significance of this group of players’ enormous achievement: in the last four World Cups, they’ve reached three finals and won one. And this final was lost in extra time. What’s more, no one can hold anything against them because they gave their all.”
The Argentinian Football Association has announced that some players will return to Argentina on Monday, although no specific celebrations have been scheduled.
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