Tagliafico blames poor pitch and exhaustion after World Cup final

Nicolás Tagliafico, the Argentina left‑back who started every match at the WK 2026, reflected on the final loss to Spain during a Twitch broadcast, hinting that his international career may be ending as he criticised the poor pitch and the physical toll of the tournament.

On his Twitch channel the former Ajax defender said, “We must be proud of the World Cup we have played. It is not easy to reach two finals or win twice. We must appreciate and also know how to lose. This shows you have reached the final and gave everything. It is football, you can win and you can lose.”

Tagliafico added that Spain were simply stronger in the decisive match: “We arrived physically and mentally exhausted at the final. Spain played very well and deserved to win. We played badly. Do not underestimate how hard it is to get here.”

He also warned that playing almost every game in the same way “destroys you mentally”. The joy of qualification and constant success, he said, “drains you enormously when you have to repeat the same style match after match.”

The conditions, he explained, were far from ideal: “The field for the final was bad. The stadium was dry. It was very hot and we played early because of the television rights.”

Looking ahead, Tagliafico wondered whether he will feature in 2030: “I will appreciate this World Cup much more, maybe because it was my last. I do not see myself playing another World Cup. I am only 34, I want to continue until I am forty, but I do not know if I can keep it that long.”

He also noted that the Argentijnen will miss Lionel Messi: “It will be complicated. There must be a change in the selection, new players will come. It will not be easy to keep this level without Messi.”