Lautaro Martinez expressed his disappointment over Argentina's loss to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final, sending a message to his national team manager Lionel Scaloni.

The Inter Milan captain had been crowned top scorer in the Italian league, which the Nerazzurri won along with the Coppa Italia.

He then scored three goals in seven matches for his country in the World Cup, including decisive late winning goals against Switzerland in the quarter-finals and England in the semi-finals.

However, Lautaro had to watch the entire final from the bench, as he did not take part in the 1-0 defeat to Spain, in which his team failed to register a shot on target until late in extra time.

Lautaro Martinez broke his silence with an Instagram post this evening, writing: 'We gave our all to win the World Cup for the second consecutive time, but this time it was not meant to be. I am very proud to be Argentine.'

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He appeared to hint at manager Lionel Scaloni's decision to overlook him in the final, saying: 'I would have liked to help the team on the pitch, but it's okay.'

He added: 'Thank you to everyone who supported us during this tournament, who traveled kilometer after kilometer to be close to us, and to all those who cheered us from every corner of our country.'

Lautaro Martinez had started in the first four matches of the World Cup, but then lost his place to Julian Alvarez.

The decision to use the final substitution in extra time to bring on defender Marco Sinesi, leaving the Inter striker on the bench for the entire match, was one of the most criticized choices by coach Scaloni in the Argentine media.

The Inter captain has scored 40 goals and provided 13 assists in 84 international matches for Argentina, and won the 2022 World Cup and the Copa America in 2021 and 2024.

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