Lionel Messi was left in tears, his international future uncertain, after failing to conjure one final piece of magic to save Argentina from defeat to Spain in Sunday's World Cup final at MetLife Stadium.
Ferran Torres struck 37 seconds into the second period of extra time, lifting Spain to a 1-0 victory and their second World Cup title, and denying Messi and Argentina the chance to become the first side to win back-to-back men's titles since Brazil in 1962.
"I hope that everyone feels proud of him, of what he's achieved because he's the best football player ever stepping foot on a pitch," said Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni.
Whether this was Messi's last appearance in an Argentina shirt remains to be seen.
He had previously said the 2022 World Cup would be his final tournament before going on, at 39, to become the first man to play in six World Cups last month.
Scaloni said he had not yet spoken to the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner about whether he intends to continue playing for the national team.
Messi, along with the rest of the Argentina squad, did not stop to speak to reporters as they left the stadium.
The vast majority inside a crowd of 80,663 had been willing Messi towards a second world title.
Instead, he fought back tears, visibly stricken, as he and his teammates faced an applauding, bowing section of Argentina supporters at the stadium's south end, while Spain's players lifted the trophy on a podium at the centre circle.
Spain's superiority was evident throughout the final and, indeed, the tournament as a whole.
La Furia Roja held a 20-2 advantage in shots and out-passed Argentina 845 to 433.
"When you have Messi on the other side, well, you are nervous. At the end of the day, we always depended on us. We always come up with our football, and we showed it again," said Torres.
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Having led Argentina to glory in the 2022 final against France, sandwiched between successive Copa América triumphs, Messi could only bow his head, grimace and place his hands on his hips as Spain's Lamine Yamal, barely a week past his 19th birthday and tipped as the sport's next great star, sprinted over to embrace Torres after the winning goal.
When Messi left European football for Major League Soccer three years ago, following four Champions League medals and 12 league titles across spells with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, some suggested he was simply heading into a quiet Florida retirement.
Instead, he inspired Argentina back to the final, contributing eight goals and four assists along the way, and took his World Cup career tally to 21 goals, a record until France's Kylian Mbappé scored twice in Saturday's third-place play-off to move ahead of him on 22.
Messi became the first player to start three World Cup finals and lifted his international goal tally to 125, second only to Cristiano Ronaldo's 146.
For many, this tournament has only reinforced his standing as the greatest player of all time, surpassing even Diego Maradona and Pelé, both three-time World Cup winners.
With his familiar unhurried gait, arms swinging loosely at his sides as he waited for the moment to explode into a sprint.
The 5ft 7in forward remained the focal point of attention whenever the ball reached him on the right flank, with opponents and supporters alike braced for him to cut inside and strike with his lethal left foot.
Messi had just 15 touches in the first half and 54 across the full match, at a stadium where he has repeatedly been made to look human.
It was here that he famously announced his retirement from international football following a penalty shootout defeat to Chile in the 2016 Copa América final, only to reverse the decision 47 days later and go on to lead his country to a third World Cup title.
Against Spain, however, Messi was never afforded the space to threaten goal, and his attempted passes to teammates repeatedly failed to find their man.
"The first idea was to keep Messi at bay," said Spain coach Luis de la Fuente.
Half a dozen Spanish players made their way over to Messi at the final whistle to embrace and console him.
He sank to the turf, hands braced behind him, staring into the distance.
When Spain's players later formed a guard of honour for the Argentina squad to collect their runners-up medals, Messi attempted a smile but could not manage one, his expression blank as opponents patted him gently on the back and chest while he passed through.
Spain now stand as the dominant force in world football, the first nation to hold both the men's and women's World Cup titles simultaneously.
As gold confetti rained down on the celebrating Spaniards, Messi walked out through one of the stadium's corner exits, shoulders hunched and his expression one of quiet despair.
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