Deena Khan

[Selección Española Masculina de Fútbol @SEFutbol]

⭐️⭐️ ¡¡𝗦𝗢𝗠𝗢𝗦 𝗕𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗘𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦 𝗗𝗘𝗟 𝗠𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗢!!

#VamosEspaña | #CopaMundialFIFA

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

The Barcelona players, all together. 🏆✨

[FC Barcelona @FCBarcelona]

19 years later, Leo Messi and Lamine Yamal meet again.

📸 @fifaworldcup

[‏ْ @marklfcx]

Pep Guardiola on why Lionel Messi broke down in tears after the final whistle against Spain in the FIFA World Cup final.

🗣️ “The whole world thought Leo was crying because Argentina had lost the World Cup. They were wrong. I know him better than most people. Those tears came from somewhere much deeper. They were the tears of a little boy who realized the dream he had lived for more than twenty years might have ended forever.”

“The moment I saw him standing there, I couldn’t watch anymore. I picked up my phone and called him. He answered, but he couldn’t speak. All I could hear was his breathing. We stayed in silence for what felt like forever because sometimes pain is too big for words.”

“When he finally spoke, he said, ‘Míster… it’s not the defeat that’s breaking me. I can accept losing. What I can’t accept is that this may have been the last time I ever wore the Argentina shirt. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye.’ I completely broke down when I heard those words.”

“I told him, ‘Leo, listen to me. Millions of people aren’t crying because Argentina lost. They’re crying because they know they may never see you wear that shirt again. They grew up with you. They celebrated with you. They suffered with you. Tonight, they’re mourning the end of an era.’”

“He spent more than two decades carrying that badge with unbelievable pride. He gave Argentina his childhood, his youth, his best football and even the final years of his career. There was nothing left for him to give. He left every piece of his heart on that pitch.”

“I said to him, ‘Don’t ever apologize. Don’t ever think you failed your country. The only reason this hurts so much is because you loved Argentina more than anyone could ever ask. That’s not failure that’s the purest form of love.’”

“I’ve coached the greatest footballer I’ve ever seen, but that night I wasn’t speaking to a footballer. I was speaking to a man whose heart had been shattered because he believed his final chapter with Argentina had been written. That pain is something no trophy, no speech and no applause can ever heal.”

“One day, people will remember who won that World Cup. But those of us who love football will also remember another image forever Lionel Messi standing in tears, not because he stopped loving football, but because football was asking him to say goodbye to the country he loved more than anything in the world.

[ESPN FC @ESPNFC]

Lionel Messi is, and forever will be, inevitable 🐐

Thank you Leo 🇦🇷

[CHIMAOBI 🐅 @chimaobi_saint]

🚨🗣Pedri : I couldn't even look at Messi. It felt like I had lost too. Lamine and all of us were heartbroken seeing him in tears. Because Messi isn't just Argentina's... he's everyone's. 🐐💔

[Berneese @theberneese]

Thank you for everything Leo🥹❤️

[UEFA Champions League @ChampionsLeague]

🫂

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

✉️🇦🇷 Leo Messi’s letter.

“𝑳𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒍 𝑴𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊’𝒔 𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓. ❤️‍🩹🥺

The pain is immense, it will take time for this wound to heal.

But I also choose to hold on to all the good things, all matches we turned around by giving everything and moments that will remain in our memories forever.

I will always remember the support of an entire country that, together with the work and effort of this group, brought us back once again among the best teams in the world.

Today, it is difficult to appreciate what we achieved… but this group has really reached two consecutive World Cup finals.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for every greeting and every message.

Once again, we managed to come together as a country and stand united, sharing the immense pride of being Argentine.

I also want to congratulate Spain on winning World Cup”. 🇪🇸

[FC Barcelona @FCBarcelona]

19 years old.

Think about it.

[Ballon d'Or @ballondor]

SIMPLY... THANK YOU, LEO. 🇦🇷✨

Lionel Messi has played his final World Cup match. 💔🏆

It was a journey filled with records, goals, and glory. Your legacy and your 8 Ballons d'Or are eternal. 🌕

🔗 More about his golden career on https://t.co/qkKEZsNOIB!

#ballondor #worldcup #argentina #messi

[Adam Schwarz @AdamJSchwarz]

Leandro Paredes should be banned from international football for life viciously assaulting Spanish players after the final whistle.

Indefensible thuggery and criminality.

[ESPN @espn]

Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi meet ahead of the World Cup final ❤️

IT IS TIME 🏆

[FIFA World Cup @FIFAWorldCup]

🇪🇸🤝🇦🇷

#FIFAWorldCup

[FIFA World Cup @FIFAWorldCup]

The Final awaits...

#FIFAWorldCup

[MessiXtra @MessiXtraHQ]

We love you Today.

Tomorrow.

And for the rest of our lives.

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

Leo Messi’s letter to all Argentinians the night before the World Cup Final. 🩵🤍💌

“The most beautiful thing about all these years was 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲”.

“Sharing day-to-day life with this group, competing together, picking ourselves up in the difficult moments, and 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩”.

“Thanks to each one of my teammates, to the coaching staff, and to all the great people who work every day to keep this National Team as a 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲”.

“Whatever happens tomorrow, this group has already written 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 and that no one will be able to erase”.

“𝑽𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒔, 𝑨𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒂”.

[‏ْ @marklfcx]

Sir Alex Ferguson on Lionel Messi’s performances at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

🗣️ “I’ve spent my entire life watching football. I’ve managed against the greatest players, coached some of the best and witnessed generations of talent. But what Lionel Messi is doing at 39 years old is beyond anything I’ve ever seen.”

“Most players at that age are long retired or struggling to keep up with the pace of the modern game. Messi? He’s carrying Argentina to another World Cup final. He isn’t surviving he’s dominating. That’s the difference.”

“People keep asking how he’s still doing it. The answer is simple: his football brain is decades ahead of everyone else. He doesn’t need to outrun you anymore because he’s already seen the next three passes before you’ve taken your first step.”

“Look at this tournament. Every time Argentina needed someone to stand up, Messi answered. When they were under pressure, he demanded the ball. When England thought they had one foot in the final, Messi completely changed the game with two outrageous assists. That’s what greatness looks like.”

“You can organise your defence perfectly, assign two or three players to mark him and spend months analysing every movement he makes. None of it guarantees anything because he only needs one second to destroy ninety minutes of hard work.”

“What amazes me most isn’t the ability it’s the mentality. The bigger the occasion, the calmer he becomes. While everyone else feels the weight of a World Cup, Messi plays as if he was born for these moments. That’s why he keeps breaking hearts and making history.”

“I’ll say something that some people won’t like, but I don’t care. We will never see another footballer like Lionel Messi. When he retires, an era of football retires with him. Players will win Ballons d’Or, score hundreds of goals and lift trophies, but nobody will combine genius, consistency, longevity and humility the way he has.”

“Enjoy every minute he’s still on the pitch, because when Lionel Messi walks away from football, the game will lose a little piece of its soul. There will be great players after him but there will never be another Lionel Messi.

[FC Barcelona @FCBarcelona]

Him. 💎

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

🚨⚠️ OFFICIAL: Belgian Federation statement on Folarin Balogun red card case, saying they are “astonished”.

“The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) is astonished by FIFA's decision to declare suspended United States player Folarin Balogun eligible to play in the USA–Belgium match on Monday, 6 July at 5:00 p.m. (Seattle time).
FIFA bases its decision on Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.

This provision states that the FIFA Disciplinary Committee may decide to suspend the enforcement of a previously imposed disciplinary sanction.
However, Article 66.4 of the same FIFA Disciplinary Code clearly provides that a red card (sending-off) automatically results in a suspension for the team's next match, as has been the case for all previous red cards issued during this FIFA World Cup.
Furthermore, and irrespective of the above, the decision is in direct contradiction with the provisions of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Competition Regulations, as set out in Article 10.5:
"If a player or team official is sent off as a result of a direct or indirect red card (second caution), they will automatically be suspended from their team's subsequent match. In addition, further sanctions may be imposed.”
The automatic nature of such a suspension was also explicitly reaffirmed in FIFA World Cup 2026 Circular No. 16, which was distributed to all participating member associations on 12 May 2026.
The same rule is reiterated at every FIFA World Cup 2026 Match Coordination Meeting prior to each match and is included in all FIFA World Cup 2026 workshop presentations.

❗️In order to safeguard the legitimate rights of all participating teams and to protect the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport, both at this FIFA World Cup and at future editions of the tournament, the RBFA is investigating all potential options.”