Lionel Messi Gets 6/10 | Argentine Players Rated After Losing To Spain In The FIFA World Cup 2026 Final

Lionel Messi Gets 6/10 | Argentine Players Rated After Losing To Spain In The FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Agony. Pure, unadulterated agony in New York in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final. Luis de la Fuente has guided Spain to the absolute summit of world football, leaving Argentina broken, bloodied, and utterly exhausted after 120 minutes of relentless tactical torture. The European champions did not just win; they choked the life out of this match. They monopolised the ball, zipped it around with cruel precision, and forced Lionel Scaloni’s side into a cynical, desperate low block. Frankly, it was a historical capitulation in possession. Argentina did not manage a single shot during the regulation 90 minutes. Not one. Argentina player ratings vs Spain: World Cup Final 2026 The wall finally crumbled in the 106th minute. Ferran Torres came off the bench, found a pocket of space, and smashed a left-footed strike home. It took something special to beat the man between the Argentine posts, who turned in a performance for the history books. Then came the ugly stuff. The final whistle triggered complete chaos. Leandro Paredes lost his head, sparked a massive touchline brawl, and copped a post-match red card. That followed Enzo Fernandez seeing red during normal time. It was a messy, bad-tempered end to a night where the Albiceleste unravelled under intense Spanish pressure. The starting eleven Emiliano Martinez – 9.5 A performance for the ages. The Aston Villa man single-handedly kept his country alive during the initial 90 minutes, racking up a record-breaking 12 saves. He flew across his line like a man possessed, thwarting Lamine Yamal and clawing away goal-bound efforts from Dani Olmo. The goal that finally beat him was a point-blank rocket. His outfield teammates let him down dreadfully. Gonzalo Montiel – 5 Lamine Yamal absolutely terrorised him. The right-back looked completely isolated and offered nothing going forward before Scaloni put him out of his misery after 57 minutes. Cristian Romero – 7 Defended with sheer, unbridled fury until injury forced him off in the second half. He threw his body at everything, marshalling the box under extreme pressure, even if his aggressive nature sometimes left massive gaps behind him. Lisandro Martinez – 6 The dynamic movements of the Spanish front three gave him nightmares. Taken off in the 43rd minute after picking up a booking as the manager tried to fix a bleeding backline. Nicolás Tagliafico – 5.5 A miserable shift tracking explosive inside forwards. He looked completely dead on his feet by the time extra time started and rarely ventured across the halfway line. Rodrigo De Paul – 5 The engine ran completely out of petrol. Rodri and Fabian Ruiz ran absolute rings around him, leaving him chasing shadows. The usual bite was missing, leading to his exit in the 69th minute. Enzo Fernandez – 4 He actively crippled his team. Frustration boiled over as he chased red shirts in vain, culminating in a foolish second yellow card in the 90th minute. His dismissal left his side stranded with ten men for the entirety of extra time. Alexis Mac Allister – 5.5 Ran himself into the ground but did next to nothing with the ball. The Liverpool midfielder spent two hours tracking back, eventually picking up a late booking as Spain kept the ball on a string. Nicolas González – 4.5 Barely touched the leather. Fails to lay a glove on Pedro Porro or push him back, resulting in a predictable halftime hook. Lionel Messi – 6 EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – JULY 19: Lionel Messi #10 of Argentina reacts after the 0-1 loss during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final match between Spain and Argentina at New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images) Tears on the turf at the end. The captain suffered from complete starvation of service, dropping into his own half just to feel the ball, and saw his only late opening quickly blocked. Julian Alvarez – 5 Pressed valiantly, chasing Spanish centre-backs all night, but it amounted to nothing. He needed progressive passes in the box, not defensive track-backs. The substitutes: Nicolas Otamendi – 6.5 Came on early for Lisandro Martinez and used every bit of his veteran cunning to cut out dangerous crosses. Fought hard, though his lack of pace showed against Ferran Torres. Leandro Paredes – 3 Replaced Gonzalez at the break and triggered a disciplinary meltdown. He got booked quickly, failed to anchor the midfield, and then earned a post-match red card for physically chucking Gavi and Eric Garcia to the ground. Nahuel Molina – 5 Replaced Montiel to stop the bleeding on the right flank, but fared little better against a rampant Nico Williams. Facundo Medina – 5.5 Filled in for Romero. He battled hard enough, but the Spanish passing carousel constantly dragged him out of position. Giuliano Simeone – 4 Blew the biggest moment of the entire match. He dragged a deflected effort wide, then blasted a golden chance over the bar from ten yards out after a Messi corner.