Torrs: Argentina had Messi, but Spain won it

Spain beat Argentina 1-0 after 120 tense minutes to win the 2026 World Cup for a second time, with Ferran Torres scoring the decisive goal in extra time.

Torres said the goal belonged to Spain, not just him. "I think this goal belongs to 47 million people, not only me," he told reporters after the final. "Destiny was written before: we were meant to be champions."

He admitted the scale of the challenge, pointing to Lionel Messi’s presence in the Argentina side. "All finals are hard, but when Lionel Messi is in the other team, there is always a special kind of stress and concern," Torres said. "Still, we relied on ourselves and proved it again."

Torres also said the winner brought relief after a tournament in which he had faced criticism. He added that he kept his composure in the match, even after Argentina chose to play in a more defensive way following a sending-off.

Spain played from late in normal time with an extra man before finally breaking through in added time.