EAST RUTHERFORD (AFP) — Lionel Messi could have ended all debate over who is the greatest player of all time by winning another World Cup with Argentina on Sunday, but he was left in tears following Spain’s 1-0 win.

Messi, now 39, dragged the holders to another final, scoring eight goals and also providing two assists in the dramatic late comeback against England in the semifinals.

But the dream of lifting the trophy again, four years after he inspired Argentina to victory in Qatar, ultimately proved too good to be true.

Ten-man Argentina did not lay a glove on Spain at the MetLife Stadium, and were lucky to survive until the 106th minute, when Ferran Torres finally broke the deadlock.

The blunt South Americans struggled throughout the match and faced a huge challenge when Enzo Fernandez was sent off in stoppage time.

The final passed Messi by, and as he broke down in tears it was easy to think that he might have been much better off bowing out on that glorious night in Doha in 2022.

That victory allowed him to emulate Diego Maradona, who dragged Argentina to glory in 1986. But this time he emulated his legendary predecessor in a different way.

Maradona’s Argentina returned to the final as holders in 1990, only to deliver a dreadful, cynical display in losing 1-0 to West Germany, a game they finished with nine men.

They fouled their way through this game, too, appearing to have no tactic other than to try to get under Spain’s skin.

Messi touched the ball only 54 times, with almost half of those coming in extra-time, and never looked like scoring the goal that would allow him to equal Kylian Mbappe’s overall World Cup record tally of 22.