Spain defender Pau Cubarsi opened up about his emotions after beating Lionel Messi and Argentina in the World Cup final, admitting that part of him felt sad watching his childhood idol lose.
Speaking to reporters after Spain’s 1-0 extra-time win at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Cubarsi said, “It was a huge privilege to share the field with Messi.” He added, “I also felt sad because he’s my role model and I don’t like seeing him lose.”
The 19-year-old, who was facing Messi for the first time in his career, said that the moment did not feel real until the Argentine great came over to greet him after the match. “I had never seen him face to face. When he came to greet me, I then believed it was real, that we were here,” he said.
Cubarsi also reflected on the scale of what Spain had achieved, saying that he still could not quite process lifting the trophy. “It was always a dream to win a World Cup. But I never would have imagined being in New York lifting a World Cup trophy. I hear it and I don’t believe it,” he said.
Cubarsi was named Best Young Player of the tournament after a standout campaign at the back for Spain. He was on the receiving end of the match’s defining moment of controversy in stoppage time, when Argentina’s Enzo Fernandez was shown a second yellow card for a hard foul on him, reducing Argentina to ten men for the remainder of the game.
Spain went on to win it in the 106th minute of extra-time through substitute Ferran Torres, who finished off a knock-down from Nico Williams. The victory capped a dominant defensive campaign for Spain, who conceded just once in eight matches at the tournament, a record for the competition. It marked Spain’s second World Cup title.
For Messi, the defeat closed out what he had already said that would be his final World Cup appearance.
The Argentine captain endured a quiet night on the biggest stage of his career as Spain shut down Argentina’s attack from start to finish.
