Messi: "I'm Sad, But We Didn't Play Our Best"

Eight-time Ballon d'Or winner and Argentina captain Lionel Messi admitted his team didn't perform well against Spain in the World Cup final. The match ended in a 0-1 loss for his side after extra time.

“I’m sad, but I’m aware that we didn’t play our best. Honestly, they were better. We lost, and we accept that,” Messi stated, as quoted by ESPN.

“This doesn’t mean we’ll forget everything we’ve achieved so far. I’d like to thank the entire team, the players, and the country,” he added.

Messi is only the second player in history to feature in three World Cup finals, a feat also achieved by Brazil's Cafu.

The Argentine star became the oldest outfield player to participate in a World Cup final at 39 years old. The previous record was held by Sweden's Gunnar Gren (37 years and 241 days).

The oldest player in World Cup final history remains Italian goalkeeper Dino Zoff, who played in the 3-1 victory against West Germany in 1982 at 40 years and 133 days old.