As the curtain falls on a spectacular tournament, The Daily Star Sport team unveils its definitive World Cup Best XI. Lining up in a dynamic 4-3-3 formation, this star-studded lineup balances elite tactical discipline with unstoppable attacking flair.

Celebrate Lionel Messi as Argentina faces Spain in a historic World Cup final. This moving tribute explores his resilience against severe adversity, offering football fans profound inspiration through the legendary career of the greatest of all time.

Anticipate the intense FIFA World Cup final as Argentina faces Spain in Dhaka. Explore a captivating Tarot reading predicting Lionel Messi's historic era ending against Lamine Yamal's bold, fearless new generation of football excellence.

Lionel Messi says Argentina have "already written a story that no one can erase" ahead of their World Cup final meeting with Spain.

France captain Kylian Mbappe believes Lionel Messi will waste little time in reclaiming the World Cup's all-time scoring record when Argentina face Spain in the final.

The biggest-ever FIFA World Cup concludes tonight with a blockbuster final between Spain and Argentina. Both nations have shown exceptional quality and an inexhaustible competitive spirit to go all the way to the title decider. Ahead of what promises to be a captivating contest at New York New Jersey Stadium, we look at the individual duels which could prove decisive.

Argentina take on Spain, the country where Albiceleste skipper Lionel Messi made his name, in a FIFA World Cup final marked by a clash of styles. Here are some key stats regarding these two giants ahead of the blockbuster final.

At 39, Messi remains as influential as he was during Argentina's triumph in Qatar. His performance in the dramatic semifinal comeback against England once again underlined his enduring ability to shape the biggest occasions.

When Lionel Messi walks onto the pitch in New Jersey in the early hours of Monday (Bangladesh time) to face Spain’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, the FIFA World Cup 2026 will reach its final act.

Lionel Messi has already won almost everything football has to offer. He has lifted the FIFA World Cup, collected a record number of Ballon d’Or awards and inspired Argentina through some of the greatest moments in the sport’s history.

There is no bigger prize in football than the FIFA World Cup, and no bigger stage than its final. Yet when Argentina and Spain meet in Monday's showpiece, the spotlight will inevitably fall on two players at opposite ends of football's timeline.

Long before Lionel Messi became a global icon, Spain coach Luis de la Fuente had already experienced first-hand how quickly the diminutive forward could turn a game on its head.

The stakes could not be higher than they are at a World Cup final. And the grand finale at the New York-New Jersey Stadium on Monday (1:00am Bangladesh Time) could hardly have been scripted better, with Lionel Messi's Argentina taking on Lamine Yamal's Spain in a showdown set to bring the curtain down on the biggest edition in the competition's history.

Argentina may already have scaled the summit of world football in Qatar, but the reigning champions have shown throughout this World Cup that lifting the trophy once has done little to dull their appetite for another.

There are rooftops draped in blue and white and murals of Lionel Messi everywhere -- but this is not Argentina, it is Bangladesh where football-crazy fans are again celebrating their unique bond with the South American giants.

Messi, playing in what is expected to be his final World Cup, remains Argentina's biggest threat as they seek to defend their title against a Spain side chasing a first global crown since 2010.

Messi, accompanied by Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni and goalkeeper Emiliano "Dibu" Martínez, spoke at an event ahead of Monday's World Cup final against Spain in New York/New Jersey (1:00am Bangladesh Time).

For more than two decades, world football has been shaped by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s extraordinary rivalry. Their brilliance defined an era, rewriting records, collecting trophies and inspiring generations of fans.

Three names are chanted in songs in the Argentine dressing room throughout this campaign. It is more than a song that says “let’s go and win”.

Until the 85th minute of Thursday’s semifinal, Argentina were trailing England by a goal, and a spot in the final seemed to be slipping away. The clock seemed to be carrying Lionel Messi away with it.