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Lionel Messi's quest to win a second World Cup title ended in heartbreak and tears for the Argentina star. But as Spain blanked Messi's Argentina side in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Thierry Henry waxed poetic about his tournament run — and his international career.
"We have enjoyed him during this World Cup," Ibrahimović said on FOX Sports' "World Cup Live." "I know he's sad he didn't win the World Cup, but he had an amazing World Cup. He kept this team alive. He did some amazing stuff."
Messi's sixth World Cup run was arguably his best individual performance at a World Cup. He scored eight goals and dished out four assists during the tournament, netting a goal in Argentina's first five matches. While Messi didn't score in Argentina's final three matches, he had three assists in its quarterfinal and semifinal victories. Two of the assists came in Argentina's dramatic comeback victory over England on Wednesday.
"He had moments where he was human. He had moments where he wasn't human," Ibrahimović said of Messi.
With his eight goals this tournament, Messi now has 21 career World Cup goals. He broke the all-time World Cup goal-scoring record during group play and held it for much of the tournament, before Kylian Mbappé's brace against England in Saturday's third-place match gave the France star the record.
Messi wasn't able to take the record back on Sunday, as Argentina's offense was shut down. Argentina only had two total shots and didn't get a shot on net during Sunday's match. Messi accounted for one of those shots, as he only completed one of his five crosses.
But rather than piling on Messi, Henry credited Spain for slowing down the Argentinian star.
"Nah, [you can't bet against him]. It takes a team like Spain to be able to beat Argentina," Henry said.
Spain vs Argentina Extended Highlights 🌎🏆 2026 FIFA World Cup™ | Final
And while Messi didn't have a strong outing on Sunday, former Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel believes that his legacy shouldn't be diminished.
"He’s now lost more finals than he’s won in the World Cup, but he’s still the best player that’s ever lived," Schmeichel said on FOX Sports' "World Cup Now." "For any young kid looking at him, you have to understand that it’s not always about what you win. It’s about what you contribute and he’s contributed so much to this game."
Former United States star Alexi Lalas, England star Peter Crouch and ex-United States standout Maurice Edu also believe that Messi has a strong legacy, even with Sunday's loss.
"He's a champion, and champions want to win and they want to win everything," Lalas said. "He has won everything, so he'll be disappointed. But, my goodness, I think we can quickly turn it to how important he is, how iconic he is and how amazing he is, regardless of the score today."
"Almost all of those players [for Spain] will have been influenced by Messi and what he’s done in the game," Crouch added. "This man’s been a genius and if this is the end that he bows out the greatest player we’ve ever seen."
"I just think it's hard to not speak Lionel Messi's name without quantifying the impact he's had on this game — both at the club level and international level," Edu said. "I don't know if there's anything he hasn't accomplished in this game. But to me, it's beyond that. It's also the style that he played the game with. The way he led in different ways at both club and the international level, and when you're a kid, opponent or an adult, you fall in love with this game when you watch him play because of the way he plays it.
Henry doesn't want anyone questioning Messi's desire or will to win, either, as the final image of him at this World Cup was him in tears when he received his silver medal.
"Look at what it means to him. If you ever had any doubt if the guy still has any fire in his belly, look at him. Look at what it means," Henry said. "Look at this. Everybody's clapping, because you're looking at him and this is what it means to him. You won already, well, everything. And look at the guy. Look at the passion, desire and the love that he has for his country and how much he puts into it."
Now, the focus turns onto what's next for Messi. Was his tearful moment during the trophy presentation his final moment wearing an Argentina uniform? Messi will turn 43 when the next World Cup rolls around, as some other top stars his age have announced that they've played in their final World Cup match or their last international career game.
Ibrahimović is hoping that this isn't the last we've seen of Messi at the World Cup stage.
"I hope he can continue to play as much as possible, so we can enjoy him even more," Ibrahimović said. "Will we see him in another World Cup? I don't know, you never know. But we've enjoyed him and we're happy that he plays the game because we're going to be very sad when he stops playing."
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