Argentina Hadapi Spanyol Rasa Barcelona di Final Piala Dunia 2026

Tim nasional Argentina akan menghadapi tim nasional Spanyol pada pertandingan final Piala Dunia 2026 di New York New Jersey Stadium pada Minggu, 19 Juli 2026 waktu setempat atau Senin dini hari WIB. Pertandingan ini menjadi momen krusial bagi kapten Argentina, Lionel Messi, yang harus bertarung melawan generasi penerus mantan klubnya, Barcelona.

Skuad La Furia Roja saat ini diperkuat oleh delapan pemain yang pernah menimba ilmu di akademi milik Barcelona, La Masia. Para pemain tersebut meliputi Joan Garcia, Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, Dani Olmo, Gavi, Pedri, Lamine Yamal, dan Ferran Torres, ditambah eks penggawa Barcelona lainnya, Marc Cucurella.

Laga ini juga mempertemukan kembali Lionel Messi dengan penyerang muda Spanyol, Lamine Yamal. Foto kebersamaan mereka pada tahun 2007 dalam sesi pemotretan amal UNICEF di Camp Nou, saat Yamal masih bayi berusia lima bulan dan Messi berusia 20 tahun, kembali viral menjelang laga final.

Mengenai foto masa lalu dan pertandingan final tersebut, Lionel Messi memberikan tanggapannya dalam sebuah acara penggemar di Manhattan.

"That photo is incredible," kata Lionel Messi, Kapten Tim Nasional Argentina.

Messi kemudian menambahkan pandangannya mengenai situasi unik di mana bayi yang pernah digendongnya kini menjadi lawan di atas lapangan hijau.

"I took a picture with him when he was a baby ... the fact that we're both playing in the World Cup now is crazy," tutur Lionel Messi, Kapten Tim Nasional Argentina.

Lebih lanjut, megabintang berusia 39 tahun itu memberikan harapan serta menegaskan komitmennya untuk membawa Argentina meraih trofi juara.

"I wish him luck because his success will be Barcelona's success, (but) we'll try to keep him from playing at his best. He's 19 years old and has his whole career ahead of him. I wish him the best, but we'll give it our all to ensure he doesn't become champion this time," ujar Lionel Messi, Kapten Tim Nasional Argentina.

Di sisi lain, kehebatan performa Lamine Yamal sepanjang turnamen mendapatkan perhatian khusus dari tim kepelatihan Albiceleste.

"How do we stop Yamal? I hope we can lock Lamine in his room," ucap Lionel Scaloni, Pelatih Tim Nasional Argentina.

Scaloni memuji potensi besar yang dimiliki oleh pemain sayap Spanyol tersebut bagi masa depan dunia sepak bola secara global.

"Yamal is a truly exceptional player. This kid is a treasure for football, he is very young and has a lot to give to the sport," kata Lionel Scaloni, Pelatih Tim Nasional Argentina.

Pelatih Argentina itu juga berharap agar kontribusi besar Yamal untuk negaranya tidak terjadi dalam laga puncak akhir pekan ini.

"Yamal is a talent that will bring a lot of joy to Spain in the future, but we hope that won't be the case on Sunday. He, like Lionel Messi, is one of those players who are very difficult to monitor and stop," tambah Lionel Scaloni, Pelatih Tim Nasional Argentina.

Sementara itu, fotografer Joan Monfort yang mengabadikan momen legendaris 19 tahun silam tersebut merasa tidak percaya dengan takdir yang mempertemukan kedua pemain.

"It is a true miracle of destiny," kata Joan Monfort, Fotografer.

Monfort menilai pertemuan kedua bintang sepak bola lintas generasi ini sebagai sebuah kebetulan yang sangat luar biasa indah.

"It is serendipity - when you find something extra special, so much bigger than you ever thought. If you wrote this in a film it would not seem possible," ujar Joan Monfort, Fotografer.

Pertemuan ini menjadi penutup siklus cerita yang emosional bagi sang fotografer asal Catalan tersebut.

"I think we are closing the cycle of their story. It is a happy end. I am a fan of Barcelona, and I think for Messi it's perfect if he can finish his career winning the World Cup for the second time.

I think he deserves it. And for Lamine he has a lot of time to win trophies like the World Cup. But Spain and Lamine are arriving in a good moment and if he wins it now, it would be worth more than his other titles.

It is very difficult for me. My heart is breaking in two pieces," tutur Joan Monfort, Fotografer.

Selain sorotan media, rekan setim Yamal di timnas Spanyol juga sempat mengira gambar dokumentasi masa kecil tersebut merupakan hasil rekayasa teknologi komputer.

"The first time I saw it, I thought it was AI and that it wasn't even real. It's unbelievable that two of the best players to have played the game -- and hopefully Lamine, in the future, will be one of those -- share a picture like that," kata Mikel Merino, Gelandang Tim Nasional Spanyol.

Bagi Lamine Yamal sendiri, pencapaian karier sepak bolanya hingga saat ini didedikasikan sepenuhnya untuk membalas budi dan pengorbanan orang tuanya.

"What my mother has done, what my father has done, I couldn't have done that for anyone who is not my child. If you don't have money, it's very hard to help your child play football. And my parents managed to make all that happen. It's something I'll never be able to repay them for," ungkap Lamine Yamal, Penyerang Tim Nasional Spanyol.

Yamal juga sempat mengenang masa lalunya yang penuh keterbatasan dan bagaimana sepak bola memberikan harapan baru dalam hidupnya.

"Growing up, all I had was a family, a ball, a park and a dream. Playing football gave me structure, a sense of belonging, and hope for the future. I know how important it is for children to have a safe place to play, so that they can simply enjoy being children," jelas Lamine Yamal, Penyerang Tim Nasional Spanyol.

Pemain muda berusia 19 tahun tersebut juga mengakui selalu mengevaluasi performa dirinya dan tidak pernah merasa cepat puas.

"I'm very demanding of myself. I'm never satisfied with what I'm doing," ujar Lamine Yamal, Penyerang Tim Nasional Spanyol.

Meskipun demikian, Yamal memiliki rasa percaya diri yang tinggi bahwa performa terbaiknya akan keluar saat menghadapi laga-laga krusial.

"I've never been the best player in the group stage. The closer the important matches get, the semi-finals or the final, the better I play," tegas Lamine Yamal, Penyerang Tim Nasional Spanyol.

Menanggapi ambisi sang junior, kapten Spanyol mengingatkan pentingnya ketenangan bagi penyerang muda Barcelona itu di atas lapangan.

"I think Lamine needs to calm down a bit, [because of] that anxiety that he has to prove himself. But he's a very important player for us because of what he does with and without the ball. It's true that he's 19 years old and that we have to calm him down at certain moments of the game.

He's a very mature young man but he still has room to improve when it comes to reading the game, which is completely normal for his age. I'm the one who always tells him to keep going and not to stop playing if he doesn't get a foul, but he's a young man who listens, who wants to learn, and above all, sets a real example with his attitude," kata Rodri, Kapten Tim Nasional Spanyol.

Yamal sendiri menyadari perannya yang krusial untuk membuka ruang bagi rekan-rekan setimnya meskipun tidak mencetak gol.

"I know that with my movement I draw a lot of opponents away, so I can create space for a team-mate. Anything I can do to help, even if I don't touch the ball in a play, is a positive. I think everyone's obsessed with scoring goals, but we won the European Championship with me scoring a single goal," ucap Lamine Yamal, Penyerang Tim Nasional Spanyol.

Dalam konferensi pers resmi di New York menjelang pertandingan, legenda NFL Tom Brady juga ikut memberikan tanggapan kepada Messi mengenai foto ikonik masa lalu tersebut.

"very prophetic," cetus Tom Brady, Legenda NFL.

Selain dihadiri para pemain dan pelatih kedua tim, acara konferensi pers menjelang babak final tersebut turut dihadiri oleh sejumlah selebritas dunia seperti Novak Djokovic, Kevin Durant, Rio Ferdinand, Kevin Hart, hingga Travis Scott.