Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in the most one-sided World Cup final in history. From Ferran Torres’ heroics to Lionel Messi’s last dance, here are the player ratings as claimed by Luis de la Fuente as his second star…
Spain
Yonai Simon – 5
Argentina had literally no shots until the 117th minute. Maybe you got a nice tan and definitely got your hands on the trophy.
Pedro Porro – 8
Lamine Yamal was a constant threat to score runs. It was his cross that finally sparked the opener – a crucial delivery to Williams at the back post.
Pau Cuberci – 6
Played with maturity beyond his years. There wasn’t much to stop the Argentine, but they were consistently calm whenever a threat appeared. World Cup Winner and Young Player of the Tournament.
Aymeric Laporte – 6
There was nothing to do defensively. A half chance came late on in normal time, but he couldn’t get enough purchase with his header.
Mark Cucorella – 7
Just like at the Euros two years ago, Cucurella has raised his stock this summer and followed it up with another fine performance at both ends of the pitch.
Rhodri – 7
The midfield general. The game kept ticking in Spain’s favour. He was brought on in extra time, which is understandable given his injury history and the fact that playing more than 90 minutes would have been a risk.
Fabian Ruiz – 6
89 per cent pass completion and two chances created. A solid if unremarkable performance from the PSG man before being subbed off after just an hour.
Lamin emal – 5
Was it the day he took the crown from King Macy? Absolutely not. The teenage superstar was targeted and kept quiet, but he will accept the results when they come.
Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi embrace after the World Cup final.
Dani Olmo – 5
For all Spain’s possessions, it didn’t quite happen for Olmo. Honestly, there wasn’t much happening in front of him, so it was hard to make an impact.
Alex Bina – 5
Whether it was Montel or Molina, the Argentine right winger was available. Bina works well with Cucorella, but bringing in Williams to add more momentum is a sensible move.
Mikel Owersball – 6
He was the only one in trouble for Martinez in the first half, but as is so often the case, he was sacrificed so Spain could step up with an alternative approach.
Subs
Ferran Torres – 8
A moment he will never forget. It was a truly stunning piece of harmony and quality when it mattered most. His teammates struggled to show it, but Ferran Torres had it in abundance. To forever be the man who won the 2026 World Cup.
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Ferran Torres scored a crucial extra-time goal to give Spain a 1-0 lead in the World Cup final against Argentina.
Padre – 6
He looked smart on the ball and brought a little more energy than Fabian Ruiz in midfield.
Mikel Merino – 5
His moment looked like it came in extra time when he got on the end of a cross just outside the six-yard box. Nate should have risen, but Super Sab missed his mark and his chance to be a hero.
Nico Williams – 7
The substitute was brought on to make an impact and thought he had done so when he provided the ball for the extra-time opener, only for it to be controversially ruled out. However, he grabbed the assist for his moment’s winner, forcing a nod towards Torres.
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Spanish and Argentinian fans react to Nico Williams’ goal, which was disallowed early on for a foul on Nicolas Otamendi.
Martin Zobemendi – 5
Half of his playing time was spent doing things he wasn’t brought in to do as Argentina pressed for a late equaliser. He wasn’t at Rodri’s level, but he provided fresh legs at an important time.
Eric Garcia – 6
Argentina were throwing the kitchen sink at Spain, and Garcia added an extra defensive body to see out the game.
Argentina
Amy Martinez – 8
He started convincingly, but as the game progressed, Martinez became more subdued. There were many straightforward saves that he rattled off. He recovered his composure though, making key saves to keep Argentina in it late on and into extra time. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough for him.
Argentina’s players look frustrated after Ferran Torres’ success for Spain.
Gonzalo Montel – 5
He struggled to get forward and often couldn’t keep up with Cucurella’s overlapping movement down the other end. He did nothing during his World Cup-winning moment four years ago.
Cristian Romero – 6
Had to defend a lot, and with Martinez coming on just before half-time, he and Otamendi worked well together for the most part before limping off on 70 minutes.
Lisandro Martinez – 4
Perhaps a bit harsh, as he did nothing wrong but received a booking and was injured before half-time.
Nicholas Tagliafico – 6
Marshalled Lamine Yamal about it as well as he could. The youngster certainly didn’t do anything remarkable, which is a testament to the Argentine left-back.
Rodrigo De Paul – 5
He struggled to get a grip on the midfield battle against Rodri and Ruiz.
Alexis McAllister – 5
The rest sat back, as the Argentine was unable to show what he had in his possession. His approach to the game rather than his individual efforts hindered him.
Enzo Fernandez – 2
His absolutely idiotic stoppage-time tackle on Cubbery, who had already been booked for talking to the referee, left his team in a terrible position in extra time. They were already under the cosh; it just worsened it.
He has no hands on his ears after that.
Enzo Fernandez’s reaction to World Cup final exit
Nico Gonzalez – 6
Indeed, he looked a threat when he chanced to carry the ball forward but was withdrawn at half-time as Argentina looked far more defensively settled.
Lionel Messi – 4
If this is the end of Lionel Messi, it was not what he would have dreamt of. It didn’t impact the game nearly as much as expected, but what a tournament it was. What a player.
The picture of him sitting on the floor, defeated, may be the last picture of him on a football pitch for all we know. If so, he walks away with his head held high, even if he can’t find another moment in magical history.
Lionel Messi was unable to find his magic spark last time out.
Julian Alvarez – 3
Argentina played a defensive game, and Alvarez could not get involved. He was replaced by a centre-half in extra time, which tells you all you need to know about how Lionel Scaloni was approaching the game.
Subs
Nicolas Otamendi – 6
A veteran name was brought in for possibly one last dance. Led the defence fairly well until the inevitable happened.
Leandro Paredes – 2
Shocking. He came on, fouled, did nothing positive and then carried himself so badly that he got a red card after the final whistle. He should be ashamed of himself.
Nahuel Molina – 3
Beaten at the back post by Williams to set up Torres’ winner. He then punched Rodri, sparking ugly scenes at full-time as he took to the pitch to celebrate with his team-mates. A sore loser might be trying to get out of his role in an expensive cause.
Facundo Medina – 5
Medina couldn’t do much to stop the Spanish attack, but he was one of the defenders on the pitch when he eventually scored.
Giuliano Simeone – 5
He kicked his socks off after coming on but will always rue his lack of extra time in stoppage time. He would see his name in lights when the ball landed at his feet in a corner. Instead, he fired his half-volley over the bar.
Marcos Senisi – 5
Senisi put in some decent tackles, but his introduction in place of Alvarez was a classic Thomas Tuchel move. He condemned Argentina for trying to hold him back – before conceding – and perhaps wished he had stopped another attacker.
Player of the Match: Ferran Torres
Ferran Torres celebrates scoring his opener in extra time
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