Sports · 21 July 2026
Lamine Yamal reveals Messi's words during their emotional hug
Bryan Berlin (Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0) | Hossein Zohrevand (Wikimedia, CC-BY-4.0)
Lionel Messi congratulated Spain's Lamine Yamal after the World Cup final, telling the 19-year-old to "keep following your path" because "the future belongs to our generation." Yamal said the words meant as much as his World Cup winner's medal. Messi later described Argentina's 1-0 defeat as an "immense pain" in what is likely his final World Cup appearance.
Reported by Metro · How we write briefs