New York [US], July 18 : Argentina captain Lionel Messi praised Spain's teenage sensation Lamine Yamal ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 final, calling him an "amazing" player while saying Argentina will do everything possible to prevent him from achieving a historic milestone.
In a post shared by ESPN FC on X, Messi said he has closely followed Yamal's progress because of the youngster's performances for Barcelona, a club the Argentine legend represented for nearly two decades.
"Lamine is truly amazing, and I've followed him a lot because he plays for a club I love so much. He has a chance to achieve something historic, and we're going to try to make sure that doesn't happen this time," Messi said.
Defending champions Argentina secured a thrilling 2-1 comeback win over England in the semifinal, overturning a first-half deficit with Enzo Fernandez scoring the equaliser before Lautaro Martinez netted the stoppage-time winner to send the defending champions into the title clash against Spain.
The win over England sent Argentina into the World Cup 2026 final, while England's hopes of reaching their first World Cup final since 1966 came to a heartbreaking end.
Spain, on the other hand, secured a place in the FIFA World Cup final for the first time since their 2010 triumph after defeating France 2-0 with a composed performance. Lamine Yamal played a key role in the win, winning a penalty after dispossessing Lucas Digne, which Mikel Oyarzabal converted in the 22nd minute to give Spain the lead.
Pedro Porro doubled Spain's advantage after the break following a fine move with Dani Olmo, while France struggled to create clear chances.
Yamal had a goal ruled out for offside, and despite late efforts from Kylian Mbappe and Aurelien Tchouameni, Spain's defence held firm to secure their sixth clean sheet in seven tournament matches.
The victory booked Spain's second-ever World Cup final appearance.