"We Are the Best, Whether Anyone Likes It or Not": Messi Sends a Warning to the World Before the Final
Messi held nothing back after Argentina beat England to reach the 2026 World Cup final. The captain was blunt: 'We are the best in the world.'
Messi has run out of patience for modesty. After eliminating England 2–1 to secure a place in the 2026 World Cup final, the Argentine captain went straight to the point: "We are the best in the world over these four years, whether anyone likes it or not and whatever anyone says."
The words carry weight. Argentina arrive at the final as reigning back-to-back world champions, and Messi made it clear that is no coincidence. "This proves that what we have done is not by chance and that nobody handed us anything," he added, according to A Bola.
Against England, the match was tense — as it always is when these two nations meet at a World Cup. Messi acknowledged the magnitude of the clash: "Things happen that belong to history," he said, alluding to the symbolic gravity of the fixture. But on the pitch, Argentina were the better side. "We knew that in terms of football we were better than them," he stated.
What is striking is the historical accumulation. Messi is appearing in his third World Cup final — an achievement very few players have ever managed in the entire history of football. And Argentina, as a group, are contesting their second consecutive final. "What this group has achieved is madness," said the number 10.
The Golmetria model sees Argentina as the strongest team in the tournament: a 34% chance of lifting the title, the highest figure of any side at the 2026 World Cup. The market, however, is more cautious — and that divergence is exactly the kind of detail that makes the final worth every second.
Messi asked the world to enjoy it. "Let people keep enjoying this," he said. The final is set. Argentina are there. And the captain has already issued his warning: anyone who wants to take the six-peat from them is going to have to prise it away by force.