Nervous excitement and loud cheers turned into pain, tears, and tense breath-holding, after Argentines' hope for a new epic comeback led by Lionel Messi, their first football team's legend, dissipated in the 2026 World Cup final against Spain's youngsters, the world champions. At Café Relax, located in the historic center of Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, fans with teary eyes after the final whistle that announced defeat 0-1 after extra time explained that what saddened them most was that this was likely the last chance for Messi, aged 39, to win the World Cup again. Camilo Cichero, a 22-year-old architecture student comforting his crying friend, said: 'I feel empty. Empty because of Messi, because I won't see him in a World Cup again. This was the last one, things didn't go as we expected, at least it gives me peace because I know he already won everything he could win.' After composing himself, his friend Juan Sainz, 22, a law student, said: 'This was Messi's last tournament, it was truly the end, and it ended this way. I was born when Messi was playing, and this was the end of that era.' But the scene was not all tears; across the city, fireworks erupted, car horns sounded, and thousands of fans headed to the famous Obelisk, the traditional place for football celebrations. After initial disappointment, they soon returned to celebrating their team, and many insisted that despite the defeat, they would take to the streets on Monday evening to welcome the team upon its return. Javier Milei, President of Argentina, wrote on his personal account on platform 'X': 'Thank you very much, players!!! You fought until the last moment. Argentina will always stand tall.' After an erratic World Cup campaign built on a series of narrow victories, Argentines were confident they could achieve a second consecutive title in the final played in New Jersey. With their blue and white flags and Argentine national team jerseys, they braved an extremely cold day to fill public squares, showing enthusiasm as the match began. But despite the defeat, most affirmed their determination to take to the streets and welcome the runners-up to Spain, the world champions.