Lionel Messi Gives His Two Cents on Facing Lamine Yamal's Spain in 2026 FIFA World Cup Final: 'Lot of Them Are at Barca...'

2026 FIFA World Cup Final: Argentina take on Spain in what promises to be a mouthwatering final. Ahead of the game, Messi reckoned it will be an 'even contest'. The Argentine captain admitted knowing a lot of Spanish players personally as some of them play at Barcelona. Messi also revealed that he still follows the Spanish club he once was a part off. 

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'It'll be a very even match'

“Spain is a great team with outstanding players and a very distinctive style of play. They’re a team I know very well, with a football philosophy they’ve been following for many years. I know their players too,” Messi said.

“I’ve faced many of them, and I still follow them. Several of them play for Barcelona, a club I love and continue to follow. So it will be a special match because it’s a World Cup final, and naturally I expect it to be a very even game,” Messi told reporters after the win.

“It’s crazy what this group has been doing: five finals. We’re coming off winning the World Cup, we’ve been the best team over the last four years, and today we’re among the two best teams in the world, another final. No matter how much it hurts or what people say, this group keeps proving that nobody gives you anything on the pitch,” he concluded.

After the win, Messi also confessed that he had been preparing for the event for over a year to remain in top shape. 

Messi Rules 2026 WC

The Argentine captain has been ruling the roost at the ongoing World Cup. With eight goals and four assists, Messi leads the Golden Ball race into Sunday’s final at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.