Lamine Yamal Is Ready to Take Lionel Messi’s Throne After 2026 World Cup Triumph

The teenage sensation helped Spain deny Lionel Messi his second World Cup title—and kicked off a new era in the process.

Lamine Yamal (right) ruined Lionel Messi’s perfect sendoff. | Hector Vivas/FIFA/Getty Images

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — As Lamine Yamal led Spain’s euphoric celebrations at MetLife Stadium, an emotional Lionel Messi couldn’t help but take in the moment of what was likely his last ever World Cup appearance.

The 39-year-old Argentine was in tears after the final whistle on Sunday, wallowing in La Albiceleste’s 1–0 defeat to Spain in extra time. Messi’s breakdown was a stark difference to the gleeful Yamal just yards away, dancing with his teammates as they waited to lift the most prestigious prize in soccer.

The winger soon paused his revelry, though, and hugged his childhood hero. The embrace was as much a shared moment between two human beings as it was a passing of the torch between two superstars.

In front of 80,663 fans in attendance and the millions watching across the globe, Yamal pulled away from the hug as the new reigning World Cup champion, while Messi could only look on in despair as what many called a dream match warped in a nightmare.

---

The 2026 World Cup Final Script Was Predestined

Only one will earn the right to wear a new star. pic.twitter.com/cA3MvgRYds

— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) July 19, 2026

The narrative heading into the 2026 World Cup final was dominated by cliché taglines, all tied to 19-year-old Yamal facing off with 39-year-old Messi. It was young vs. old. The future vs. the past. The potential G.O.A.T. vs. the G.O.A.T.

It’s no surprise considering Yamal now commands Barcelona’s right wing, while wearing Messi’s fabled No. 10 shirt. The teenager also comes with a magical left foot, capable of dribbling past the best defenders in the world en route to a brilliant individual goal or a trivela assist.

England legend David Beckham said it best: “You can’t compare anyone to Messi, in my opinion, but [Yamal’s] the closest thing I’ve seen.”

The comparisons, the storylines, the viral photo of Messi bathing Yamal in 2007—they all set the stage for Sunday’s dream match. Yamal vs. Messi in the World Cup final put the ill-fated Finalissima to shame.

Spain’s clash with Argentina also presented Yamal with the perfect opportunity to show the world there’s no need for comparisons; there’s no need to deem him the “future” of the sport. At age 19, he is the present. He is a European champion, a three-time La Liga champion and now, a world champion.

---

Yamal’s Fingerprints All Over Spain’s World Cup Triumph

Lamine Yamal was won it all with Spain three years into his career. | Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

The scoresheet for the 2026 World Cup final might not have Yamal’s name on it, but that hardly tells the story of the teenager’s 120 minutes at MetLife Stadium. For nearly all of regulation, the Barcelona winger was the only one creating any danger for La Roja, pulling defenders with him as he danced down the right flank.

Whenever he got on the ball, Yamal looked like he was one silky move away from testing Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez. Along the way, the forward showed off his elite dribbling, going to battle with Nicolás Tagliafico time and time again.

It was a performance that summed up Yamal’s World Cup. The 19-year-old created individual highlight moments that showed just how talented and electrifying he is, even when he was not finding the back of the net. It was a summer unlike his sensational campaign at the 2024 European Championship, where he broke record after record as he spearheaded Spain’s surge to glory.

Yamal didn’t have the same production in North America, but that doesn’t diminish his contributions to Spain’s second men’s World Cup title. On soccer’s grandest stage, he balanced his flashiness with a maturity far beyond his age to perfectly fit into Luis de la Fuente’s system.

The Spanish boss, who now adds a World Cup to his already impressive résumé, never once tried to put any restraints on the outspoken wonderkid coming through his ranks. De la Fuente knew early on that giving Yamal the freedom to express himself both on and off the pitch would produce trophies, and how right he was.

---

Messi Knows the Bitter Taste of Second Best

Lionel Messi could not get the job done with Argentina on Sunday. | Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

While La Roja celebrated its World Cup triumph, Messi no doubt had unwanted flashbacks to all his runner-up finishes with Argentina over the last 21 years. The forward previously settled for second place at the 2007 Copa América, 2014 World Cup, 2015 Copa América and 2016 Copa América Centenario.

By the time Messi finally won his first major title with Argentina, he was 34 years old. The road to glory was so painful and disappointing that the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner actually retired from international soccer in June 2016.

Messi quickly reversed his decision, but still, the titles didn’t come. For all his domestic triumphs and individual achievements, he could not get over the finish line with La Albiceleste ... until Lionel Scaloni took over in June 2018.

Lionel Scaloni saw his men get outclassed by Spain at MetLife Stadium. | Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

Over the next six years, Argentina won two Copa América titles and the 2022 World Cup. Scaloni turned Messi & Co. into a cohesive team, one that bleeds blue and oozes passion just as much as he does. The manager knew exactly how to balance the strong personalities in the locker room with his own flexible tactics to create a unit capable of greatness.

It would have been a dream to lead Argentina to back-to-back World Cup titles, further cementing his place in Messi’s epic folklore. But now, the manager is left envisioning a reality without the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner in his ranks—and it’s a future he’s dreading.

“I like to think that [Messi] is going to keep playing, because it makes you sad, as happened with Diego [Maradona], not seeing him on the field anymore,” Scaloni said before the World Cup kicked off. “They are players who marked the history of soccer. Thinking that he is not going to play anymore does not leave you at peace.”

After an incredible run at the top of the world, La Albiceleste will struggle to find peace with or without Messi, because the international stage is now red, and Yamal is front and center.

---

Messi Reluctantly Makes Way for Yamal

Lionel Messi passed the torch to Lamine Yamal (front). | Hector Vivas/FIFA/Getty Images

On a day when Messi could have furthered his legacy as the best player to ever lace up a pair of boots, the Argentina captain was nothing more than a bystander. The 39-year-old did not create a single chance and took just one shot—that was blocked—in 120 minutes on the pitch.

Messi gets to leave the United States with a consolation Silver Ball and Silver Boot, but neither prize comes close to what a second World Cup title would have meant to the forward.

The blame for La Albiceleste’s defeat of course does not all fall on Messi’s shoulders; Enzo Fernández’s red card at the end of regulation and Argentina’s inability to create any dangerous chances doomed the world champion into giving up its crown.

But the history books will still show Yamal & Co. denied Messi a heroic sendoff on the world stage. They will show how the all-time great fell to a new phenom, who is destined to etch his name over—and above—Messi’s at the club and international level.

In a way, it’s been a World Cup about the current generation of stars stealing the spotlight from Messi. France captain Kylian Mbappé snatched the Golden Boot and all-time World Cup goalscoring record from the Argentine. And now, Yamal just snatched the World Cup title.

Messi’s legacy will no doubt endure, but it’s nearly time for the soccer world to speak about the legend in the past tense, especially when on the world stage. Yamal, though? Well, he’s just getting started.

---