Tagliafico echoes Messi in admitting Spain’s superiority in the final

“Spain ran right over us”: Nicolás Tagliafico has echoed Messi’s assessment of the 2026 World Cup final. Speaking on ClankJPV, the defender acknowledged Spain’s superiority in the tournament’s final match and said his team had produced a performance well below its level in the other games.

Nearly three months after the final, following weeks of speculation about Argentina’s performance, several players have rejected the theories circulating about it. Messi did so a few days earlier, during his farewell match for the national team: “Nothing strange happened; that’s the reality.” Tagliafico has now spoken in the same vein.

“Tactically, they dominated us. We have to admit they played much better than us,” he said, explaining that Argentina could not find the composure needed to keep the ball. He also pointed to physical and mental fatigue, as well as Spain’s high press and ability to retain possession.

In his view, Spain’s control exposed a weakness for Argentina: when the team loses its grip on the game, it has to stay compact, a style that does not suit it as well. Tagliafico also said the poor impression left by the final, compared with the other matches, had prompted questions from the public.

He cited Unai Simón’s intervention against Messi, who was alone in front of the Spanish goalkeeper, as one of the moments that “could have changed things”. Inaccurate play under pressure, he added, wore the team down; Argentina is not used to playing without the ball.