Argentina appeared in the final scene of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but it was a very timid presence as Lionel Messi's teammates only defended against the Spanish Matador, who finished off the defending champions to claim the second star in its history.

The Argentine national team did not deliver the expected performance against Spain, which deservedly won the title on a day that saw negative numbers for the 'Tango Dancers' and their captain Messi, which we highlight in the following lines.

Argentina is the first team ever to fail to make a single shot in 90 minutes in a World Cup final.

For the fourth time, Argentina finishes as runner-up in the World Cup, the most times a team has been runner-up after Germany.

Lionel Messi had only one touch in the first 15 minutes of the World Cup final.

Messi received a rating of 7, his lowest in a World Cup match since Argentina's match against Croatia in the 2018 World Cup when the Latin American team lost 0-3 to its European opponent in the group stage.

Messi failed to regain the top spot in the all-time World Cup scorers list, stopping at 21 goals behind Frenchman Kylian Mbappé who snatched the lead with 22 goals.

Messi (39 years old) became the oldest outfield player to participate and lose in a World Cup final in history.

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