Spain Claims Second World Cup Title, Defeating Argentina in Final

You could see it in the Spanish players as they floated euphorically, each kissing the top of the trophy.

You could feel it from the fans in the stands as they straddled that blurry line between overwhelmed and overjoyed.

And you could hear it rumble through Spain, as a nation united through something which in reality should not mean this much but means more than almost anything else.

Nick Hornby summed it up best in his classic football-themed memoir Fever Pitch.

"I fell in love with football as I was later to fall in love with women: suddenly, inexplicably, uncritically, giving no thought to the pain or disruption it would bring with it."

Argentina felt its force too, the scenes of Lionel Messi in tears, fans distraught, Leandro Paredes losing control and lashing out.

In that moment they thought may a love like this never find me.

World Cup football can twist and torment, ripping out your heart and stamping on it till you feel like it can never be repaired.

It can also make you fall head over heels and erase all the hurt you ever felt before.

La Roja ruthless in victory

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente spoke about it in his own terms before the semi-final against France, drawing on inspiration from Julius Caesar, and the idea of having to suffer to achieve great things.

And this was a game that was a struggle for all, it lacked the overall quality and excitement you might expect from a final.

Argentina was stubborn and produced heroic defending in the box, but again questionable roughhousing tactics, eventually resulting in Enzo Fernández's send off.

The reigning champions showed little initiative to create much of anything until the final minutes of extra time as their dream dissipated in the warm New Jersey air.

Spain, having only conceded one goal all tournament, and with 20 shots to two in the decider, might not have produced its flashiest performance, but it was its most important.

This is what La Roja has done throughout the past six weeks, control the ball effortlessly, win it back almost immediately, build pressure through well-organised and committed structures, and wait till late to put it all to bed.

The Spaniards were particularly effective in shutting out Messi, who saw little of the ball and was quickly dispossessed or forced into errors when he did have it.

Turns out he can be stopped; it just takes the most exceptional defensive team of this tournament to do it.

The European Champions are now World Champions for the second time, unbeaten for 38 straight matches, a magnificent footballing dynasty growing with every game, becoming the first country to simultaneously hold the men's and women's World Cups.

"I'm so proud of this generation of footballers who have grown up with this philosophy, remained true to it, made it even better and set an example as a team and a family," Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said.

"They're excellent, world-class footballers with exceptional talent. I'm very moved. Looking back and thinking about them, we've won everything, absolutely everything, with this generation of players."

Spain's collective triumph

Argentina is a team built around one player, the likes of whom we have never seen before.

Spain is built around a collective approach, filled with exceptional players, but all who work in harmony, allowing each other to shine in different moments.

Like Mikel Merino with his repeated winners off the bench, or Rodri holding the side together as the linchpin in midfield, or Ferran Torres with his vital assists, and today's match-winning strike.

"I think in the end the goal came from 47 million people, not just those of us that are here," Torres said.

"Today destiny was written, it was made for us to win. We're far from our people today but we tried to be as close as possible to them.

"A huge relief [to score]. I've been criticised throughout the whole tournament but as I said before, destiny was written."

It says so much that Lamine Yamal, 19, seen by most as Messi's heir, did not play much of an influential role in this final, or at any stage during the tournament.

He was not a passenger, but was certainly not a conductor, and that can only breed even further confidence, and strike further fear into other nations, as he goes from boy to man.

This World Cup started slowly for Spain, a scoreless draw with the tournament's best underdog story, Cabo Verde.

But as the superstars like Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, and Jude Bellingham took all the headlines and dominated social media algorithms, Spain was the quiet, conscientious achiever.

That all changed with the terrifyingly efficient dismantling of France in the semifinals, and now a completely deserved win in the final.

"This generation of players is an example for Spanish sport, for the Spanish youth," de la Fuente said.

"Together we are much stronger, and that is why we don't forget anyone."

A team forged through fire, built on discipline and togetherness, now enjoying its love story.