Lionel Messi's hopes of leading Argentina to back-to-back World Cup triumphs went up in smoke against Spain, with the world's greatest ever player embarrassing himself as he joined in with the dark arts of his team-mates

Having conquered the sport's biggest prize in 2022, Lionel Messi now heads into anonther World Cup final against Spain with little left to prove. | Football News

From a frail boy in Rosario fighting a growth disorder to the man who conquered football's greatest stage, Lionel Messi's story is one of genius, heartbreak, redemption and…

Lionel Messi's 2022 performance was more clinical than Argentina's 2014 World Cup final defeat to Germany. | Football News

Spain defeated Argentina in the World Cup final, with Lionel Messi unable to lead his team to a successful title defence after Ferran Torres' goal at MetLife Stadium

Argentina's 1-0 loss to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final on Sunday brought star forward Lionel Messi's dream of winning back-to-back trophies crashing down to earth.

Argentina's defeat brought the curtain down on one of the greatest World Cup careers the sport has ever witnessed. | Football News

Spain 1-0 Argentina (after extra time): A team with the greatest footballer ever should not be this dull, this focused on delaying and disrupting, writes Richard Jolly from the…

Lionel Messi's dream of another World Cup title ended in tears as Argentina lost the final to Spain. Read about Messi's final World Cup match.

It feels almost sacrilegious to say it about arguably the greatest footballer of all time, but Messi simply did not influence this final. | Football News

F. Scott Fitzgerald said "show me a hero and I'll write you a tragedy." This was no tragedy but a World Cup without Messi is less than whole

Lionel Messi's final World Cup night ended in defeat as Spain denied him a second title and several records that could have rewritten tournament history. | Football News

Argentina's passion was an asset but too often in this World Cup it has spilled over into distasteful aggression

As the champion wept on the pitch after the World Cup final defeat, Argentina may well have wondered with trepidation what life will look like in the post-Messi era.

Tears rolled down Lionel Messi's face as he walked away with a silver medal around his neck. Spain had beaten Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the FIFA World Cup final, ending…

Lionel Messi had so desperately hoped his World Cup would end differently.

Argentine fans were left in tears as Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 in the World Cup final, bringing an agonizing end to Lionel Messi's final tournament.

Lionel Messi could have ended all debate over who is the greatest player of all time by winning another World Cup with Argentina on July 19, but he was left in tears following…

The future of Argentina’s coach and captain are in doubt after Spain’s 1-0 triumph

Even the greatest footballer of all time was tainted by Argentina's poisonous dark arts

OPINION: Argentina's attitude fouled their own legacy despite Messi's magic.