The FIFA 2026 World Cup has wrapped up, with new champions Spain taking home the title. What a victory by the Spanish squad, and might I add, a well-deserved one. A German legend has acknowledged their victory, but with a pointed jab at the runners-up. Former Germany international Toni Kroos, who retired from playing after Euro 2024, posted a two-word reaction on X after Spain dethroned Argentina.
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“Football won,” Kroos posted on X, as Argentina finished as World Cup runners-up for the fourth time in their history, matching Germany for the most of any nation.
Kroos had been rooting for the Spanish team before the Finals kicked off. And for him, the explanation is simple. Messi’s Argentina survived on defensive resolve rather than attacking threat.
For him, only one team showed the true potential to be champions from the very beginning: Spain. Furthermore, on his podcast, besides his brother Felix, Kroos had said before the result was clear to anyone:
“If a team like Spain is allowed to play while leading, you don’t want to face them,” he said. “If Spain scores the first goal, forget it. They’ll score three or four. Argentina won’t find any solutions.”
With that, Argentina became the first team in World Cup final history to fail to register a single shot across 90 minutes of normal time, finally managing their first attempt of the match, a blocked volley from Messi, in the 117th minute of extra time. They finished with 34.9% possession and 25 fouls to Spain’s 21.
After the final whistle blew, Kroos heavily favored that poor officiating had helped Argentina survive multiple times earlier in the tournament, while asserting that this time, the match was a fair game with “no controversy to hide behind.”
“How can a team reach a World Cup final and finish the game without a single shot on target? That tells you everything about the approach they came with. A final is meant to be contested by two teams trying to win, not one attacking while the other simply waits and hopes for penalties.”
Argentina’s frustration peaked post-match when they got into physical altercations with the Spanish players. People saw them grabbing the Spanish players by their necks. Leandro Paredes clashed aggressively with Spain’s Eric García and Gavi mid-celebration, forcing manager Lionel Scaloni to step in.
