Lionel Messi and his Argentina teammates embraced the downpour and trained through heavy rain while Spain skipped their practice session ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 final.

But the dream of lifting the trophy again, four years after he inspired Argentina to victory in Qatar, ultimately proved too good to be true.

The night before the Leagues Cup final, which would eventually become Leo’s first trophy with the club, and his 44th career title, which would become a record.