From gratitude and pride for the selection, to bewilderment: in a handful of hours, those that passed from the early morning of jumps and chants next to the Obelisco, Argentina suffered several blows of reality. The first, to digest the defeat in the final against Spain, that fact, among many others, that marks that the Albiceleste did not shoot between the three posts until minute 116. The second, that in a large part of the planet the Argentinians’ ability to lose was questioned again. And the third, that a good part of the team, starting with Leo Messi, would not set foot in the country. No title, no celebration. Nor the holiday that Javier Milei had announced on his social networks in a message “to the population”, and whose date and format were left in the hands of the team.
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Argentina’s “public relations” and savoir-faire fell on the shoulders of a moved Lionel Scaloni, because the players did not speak after the final. 20 hours had to pass since the defeat for Messi to make himself known on his social networks. “The pain is very great and it will be hard for this wound to close. But I also keep all the good things… With the matches we turned around leaving everything and that will remain forever in memory, with the support of an entire country that, together with the work and effort of this group, led us to be, once again, among the best in the world,” he wrote.
“Today it is hard to value what we did, but this group reached two consecutive World Cup finals. Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart for every greeting and for every message. Once again we managed to unite as a country and be all together, sharing the immense pride of being Argentinians. I also want to congratulate Spain for the championship,” concluded Messi, whose future his compatriots doubt.
“idiot and resentful”
The criticism of the attitude of several players after the final was not well received in Argentina. Luis Caputo, the Minister of Economy, got into a social media spat with British presenter Piers Morgan. “Disgusting behaviour by the Argentinians at the end, especially Paredes,” Morgan wrote on X, along with a photo of the Boca Juniors footballer throwing Gavi to the ground after clashing with Rodri. “Just a bunch of violent, nasty bullies, and a disgrace to football. I’ve never been so happy to see a team lose,” he added. Caputo, who days earlier had called the Briton an “idiot and resentful,” responded harshly on the same social network: “At least *show* some dignity and *stop* embarrassing your British compatriots by talking about having class.”
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The minister’s fury was a faithful reflection of the Argentine bewilderment. Before the final there was much respect for Spain’s footballing level, but it was trusted that that mystique and ability to reverse unfavorable situations would again be decisive. The reality of the match disoriented everyone, including the team itself, which already on Sunday night began a striking disbandment.
Messi flew with De Paul to Miami, where in a few days they will play with Inter. Rulli, Nico Paz, Senesi, Medina, Barco, Nico González, López and Musso continued their journey to Europe. To Buenos Aires, on Monday afternoon, Emiliano Martínez, Julián Álvarez, Enzo Fernández, Lisandro Martínez, Romero, Lautaro, Nahuel Molina, Mac Allister, Paredes, Tagliafico, Montiel, Lo Celso, Palacios, Simeone and Otamendi would arrive.
Despite the evident snub to the fans, who had planned to receive the team, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) issued a statement looking to the future: “We all defend the jersey, and the pride of representing Argentina will continue to be the driving force to face the challenges to come.”
