Adnan Jastania

Our hearts are with Lamine's Spain, and our eyes are on Messi

July 19, 2026 - 00:00 | Last updated July 19, 2026 - 00:00

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A strange equation governs this evening’s highly anticipated final between Argentina and Spain—a match that promises to be intense in its progression, thrilling in its events, and boisterous in the stands of the New York New Jersey stadium. Excluding the hopes of both sets of fans, the world appears divided today as it watches this grand final on screens, split into two camps: one that is madly in love with the legend Messi, with eyes following him every moment to savor his footballing talent, magical passes, creative goals, and inexhaustible brilliance, in what is likely his final tournament of a beautiful career.

- As for the second camp, all hearts are with the Spanish team, yearning to see the talented star Lamine Yamal, while simultaneously hoping that justice will prevail tonight for a team that reached the final on merit and capability, rather than through controversial refereeing decisions or clear bias toward a legendary player.

- In my view, if justice had been applied from the very first match, and Messi had been sent off as many believe he should have been, would Argentina have won that game? Would the player himself have scored a hat-trick and taken home the Best Player award? If the referee of the Egypt vs. Argentina match had enforced the law by dismissing the player who punched Egypt's Imam Ashour in the face, and awarded a clear penalty in favor of Mohamed Salah, would Argentina have even reached this final? The logical answer, in my estimation, is no. Therefore, I am not surprised that Lamine Yamal’s team enjoys great sympathy from neutral fans, and that many hearts are praying for their victory, even if it were to come through a controversial refereeing decision, so that Messi in particular, and his supporters, might taste the bitterness felt by other teams that believe they were wronged in this World Cup to please the pampered player and his fans.

- Moving away from this equation, which I described in the introduction as 'strange,' the most important question remains: who is closer to winning the World Cup? If the match is free from refereeing errors, I bet that the title will go to Spain with an 80% probability. This expectation is based on a technical analysis and a close following of the astute coach Luis de la Fuente, who excels at reading opponents before and during the match, knowing how to dismantle their keys to success, just as he did against the French team when he successfully neutralized the most dangerous attack in the world.

- I would not be surprised to see the Tango team this evening in a difficult position, lost and bewildered, while Messi stands stunned against the tight marking that has shackled his threat; his night may perhaps end in tears, in an unhappy conclusion headlined by: 'Ultimately, he who laughs last, laughs best.'

- As for the remaining 20% that could grant Argentina the title, I will not allow my pen to be as unjust as some of the match officials in this World Cup. Instead, I will be fair to the genius of Messi—that terrifying player in the final fifteen minutes of matches, who gathers all his remaining energy, unleashes his talent and stature, and creates or scores goals that force you to shout in admiration: 'Wow... wow... bravo, you short, cunning genius.'

- My wishes to fans of the 'crazy sphere' are for an enjoyable final, overseen by Slovenian referee Slavko Vinčić, to whom I wish success in his difficult task. I hope he is as fair in his refereeing decisions as he was when the Argentine team lost its match against the Saudi national team in the previous World Cup held in Qatar.