Spain forward Lamine Yamal has revealed what the legendary Argentine forward Lionel Messi told him when they shared a hug following Sunday’s World Cup final. Spain triumphed over Argentina 1-0 after extra time in New Jersey on Sunday, with Ferran Torres skilfully scoring the decisive goal in the 106th minute.
The match was peculiar, as the South American team failed to register a single shot on goal in the first 90 minutes and did not hit the target at any point in the 120 minutes. The European side maintained complete control, yet they struggled to overcome the resilient defending champions until Torres finally found the net.
Post-match, there were distressing incidents as some Argentine players and staff engaged in physical altercations with Spanish players, prompting FIFA to initiate an investigation. Nevertheless, Messi remained uninvolved in the chaos and instead embraced Spain’s young talent Yamal, who, at just 19 years old, has already achieved both European and World champion status.
This moment was heartwarming as the 39-year-old seemed to pass the torch to the young player, and Yamal has recounted the meaningful exchange that took place. Yamal stated, through the Spanish outlet Marca: ‘He’s the greatest player in history and someone I’ve always admired. After the match, I wanted to express my respect to him.
“He advised me to continue on my path and mentioned that the future belongs to our generation. Those words hold as much value as the gold medal around my neck.” Yamal further remarked, “If someone had told me a few years back that I would be here lifting the World Cup after competing against Lionel Messi, I would have thought they were insane.”
On Monday, Messi shared a message on social media, articulating the profound sorrow of losing what is likely to be his final World Cup match.
