Some World Cup finals crown champions. Others become folklore. Spain vs Argentina somehow managed to do both. It wasn’t just a football match; it was two hours of pure chaos, nerves, nostalgia, controversy, celebration and everything that makes us wait four years for this tournament. Just when you thought the drama had peaked, it somehow found another gear.
Here are the moments that we’ll still be talking about years from now.
1. 120 minutes of pure footballing cinema
Forget the scoreline for a second.
This final had absolutely everything you could ask for. Tactical battles that kept changing every few minutes. Chances at both ends. Momentum swinging back and forth. Players throwing themselves into tackles as though their lives depended on it. Every attack felt like it could change history, and every clearance felt just as important as a goal.
You know those matches where nobody wants the final whistle because you’re enjoying the football too much? This was one of them. For 120 minutes, Spain and Argentina reminded everyone exactly why the World Cup remains the greatest sporting event on the planet.
2. Ferran Torres’ 106th-minute goal that delivered Spain’s second star
When legs were tiring and everyone had started preparing themselves for penalties, Ferran Torres had other ideas.
His finish in the 106th minute wasn’t just the winning goal – it instantly became one of those iconic World Cup moments that will be replayed for decades. One touch. One finish. One nation erupting. Ferran, I absolutely love you!
Spain had been knocking on the door all evening, but Ferran was the one who finally kicked it open. And it really feels special knowing Ferran’s journey makes that 106th-minute strike hit differently. He has never hidden the fact that he struggled with confidence during his early Barcelona days, admitting the pressure affected him deeply. Seeing him become Spain’s World Cup hero feels like the perfect full-circle moment.
The moment the ball hit the back of the net, you almost knew that was it. The celebrations, the disbelief, the relief – it was everything a World Cup-winning goal should be.
3. Enzo Fernández’s red card turned the drama up another level
As if the final wasn’t dramatic enough already, Enzo Fernández decided to make things even more chaotic.
His late red card left Argentina with ten men during the most crucial minutes of the match, forcing the defending champions to chase an equaliser while a player short. It completely shifted the momentum and gave Spain even more control as the clock ticked away.
And if we’re being completely honest…
After everything that’s happened involving Argentina throughout this tournament—the refereeing debates, the constant fouls and the never-ending controversies—it felt like one of those moments where football finally balanced the scales a little.
Playing the closing moments of a World Cup final with ten men is never how you want your title defence to end.
4. Did the halftime show actually need to happen?
Maybe I’m in the minority here—but judging by social media, I don’t think I am.
The halftime show was spectacular. Madonna headlined, Justin Bieber performed Hallelujah, BTS brought their trademark energy, Shakira once again reminded us that football tournaments are basically her second home, Burna Boy had the stadium singing Dai Dai, and seeing Brazilian icons Ronaldo Nazário and Ronaldinho walk out together genuinely felt special.
But here’s the thing… Did a World Cup final actually need a halftime show?
Football has always been different. The anticipation during halftime is usually spent catching your breath, arguing with your friends about tactics or nervously wondering what’s about to happen next. This time, it almost felt like football had temporarily become a concert, and maybe it wasn’t needed at all.
And while the performances themselves might have been entertaining for some, Justin Bieber singing Hallelujah left many fans, including me, wondering if it was really the right song for the occasion. Beautiful? Absolutely. Fitting for the biggest football match on Earth? I’m still not convinced.
5. Spain’s legends carrying the World Cup trophy was pure aura
Sometimes nostalgia wins. Seeing Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, Iker Casillas, Carles Puyol and Sergio Ramos in the stands and Ramos carrying out the World Cup trophy gave genuine goosebumps. This was the generation that changed football forever.
The team that dominated Europe, conquered the world in 2010 and made tiki-taka one of football’s defining eras. Watching them hand over the trophy to Spain’s new generation felt symbolic – as if one golden era was officially welcoming another.
There really couldn’t have been a better group of players to carry football’s most famous trophy. The aura was simply unmatched.
6. Credit where it’s due: Emi Martínez deserved his flowers
Argentina may not have retained the World Cup, but if there was one player who did absolutely everything he could to keep them alive, it was Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez.
Time and again, Spain looked destined to score, and time and again, Martínez somehow found a way to keep them out. Diving full stretch, reacting instinctively and pulling off save after save, he produced one of the greatest goalkeeping performances we’ve ever seen in a World Cup final.
In the end, even he couldn’t stop Ferran Torres’ extra-time winner. But despite finishing on the losing side, Martínez walked away having made 11 saves – the most ever recorded by a goalkeeper in a men’s FIFA World Cup final.
Records don’t always come with medals, and this one certainly didn’t. But when people look back at this final years from now, they’ll remember Spain lifting the trophy – and they’ll remember Emi Martínez producing an absolute masterclass between the posts. Some performances deserve applause regardless of the result, and this was undoubtedly one of them.
7. Trump handing Spain the trophy felt… ironic
Perhaps the most unintentionally funny image of the night came after the final whistle. Watching Donald Trump place medals around the necks of Spain’s players and hand over the World Cup trophy felt incredibly ironic, considering Spain’s government has been among Europe’s strongest supporters of Palestinian statehood and has repeatedly criticized Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Politics and football are different worlds, but for a brief moment, they collided in the most unexpected way.
And then there was Mikel Merino casually pulling out Trump’s signature dance during the celebrations. Whether it was meant as a joke, a meme, or simply embracing the internet moment, it summed up the bizarre energy of this World Cup final perfectly. Some moments you simply couldn’t script.
That’s the thing about World Cup finals.
Years from now, most people probably won’t remember every pass or every tactical tweak. They’ll remember Ferran Torres’ extra-time winner. They’ll remember Argentina finishing with ten men. They’ll remember debating whether the halftime show belonged in a football final at all. They’ll remember Spain’s legends carrying out the trophy, and they’ll remember another chapter being added to World Cup history.
Spain may have lifted the trophy, but football was the real winner that night. Because every once in a while, a final comes along that reminds us exactly why we keep coming back every four years – and this was one of them.
