Press reports have revealed touching details that preceded the 2026 World Cup final between Argentina and Spain, the truth about the disagreements inside the locker room, and Lionel Messi's conversation with his teammates.
According to Argentine journalist Yanina Latorre, Messi told the national team players that the match against Spain would be his last in an Argentina jersey, which caused a number of players to break down emotionally minutes before going onto the field, as Enzo Fernandez and Lisandro Martinez appeared clearly affected in the footage that later spread across social media.
Before leaving the dressing room, the Argentine captain addressed a short message to his teammates, urging them to remain calm and fully focused on the match, saying: "Calm down, guys... the most important thing is to stay calm. Let's forget everything, and just think about playing."
This clip spread widely, sparking a wave of speculation about what Messi meant by the phrase "let's forget everything," before Latorre confirmed that the reason was not a crisis within the national team, but rather the great impact of Messi's announcement that the final would be his last stop with his national team.
This atmosphere coincided with a message published by Messi hours before the final, which carried a clear farewell tone, as he confirmed that this generation "wrote a history that will not be forgotten, no matter what the result of the match was," which reinforced the speculation that the final was indeed the end of his international journey with "Al-Tango".
