Messi vs Yamal: Everything You Need to Know About the Epic Spain vs Argentina Showdown
We're still awaiting the clash between Euro 2024 champions Spain and Copa America titleholders Argentina in the Artemio Franchi Cup, commonly referred to as the Finalissima, which presents an exciting opportunity to witness these teams face off. Lionel Messi compete with his chosen heir Lamine Yamal .
Yamal appears to be Barcelona’s most promising young talent since Messi emerged from La Masia two decades ago. These players represent different stages of their careers, and time may be limited for us to witness both of them playing together on the field.
We've simplified all the key points for the upcoming Finallisima match featuring Spain against Argentina.
History of the Finalissima
The Finalissima was initially established in 1985 and was named in honor of Artemio Franchi, the former UEFA president, who passed away in a traffic accident a few years earlier.
It was created as a global response to the Intercontinental Cup, which took place between the champions of the European Cup and the Copa Libertadores.
In the inaugural edition of the tournament, Michel Platini-led France, champions of the 1984 European Championships hosted in their own country, faced off against Uruguay, who had triumphed over Brazil in the two-leg 1983 Copa America finals. The French team emerged victorious with a score of 2-0 during the match held at the Parc des Princes.
Four years later, no similar agreement was reached between the Netherlands and Uruguay, yet the tournament resumed in 1993. In this event, held at the Estadio José María Minella in Mar del Plata, Argentina, Diego Maradona’s team—Argentina—defeated the surprising Euro 92 champions, Denmark, on penalty kicks.
For several decades, FIFA’s Confederation Cup replaced the Artemio Franchi Cup as an extended World Cup preparatory tournament, before concluding in 2017.
In 2020, UEFA and CONMEBOL signed a deal to “enhance cooperation” between the two federations, which included relaunching the old Artemio Franchi Cup to be known as the ‘CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions’ or Finalissima.
In the 2022 Finalissima held at Wembley, Messi’s Argentina secured a convincing 3-0 win over Italy. It was some event, as well. .
What’s been said
Officials from UEFA and CONMEBOL have remained tight-lipped following the announcement of the upcoming Finalissima.
The UEFA president, Aleksander Ceferin, has not made any official statements regarding the event, and neither has CONMEBOL’s top leader, Alejandro Dominguez.
However, in 2021, the South American and European football federations inked a new Memorandum of Understanding valid through 2028, expected to encompass arrangements for the subsequent iteration of the Finalissima.
UEFA’s official statement At the designated time, the new agreement included particular clauses about establishing a joint UEFA/CONMEBOL office in London and possibly organizing multiple soccer events.
Scheduling headache
The most recent Finalissima occurred on June 1st, 2022 – exactly one year following Argentina’s victory at the Copa América and Italy’s win at the UEFA European Championship.
Nonetheless, it seems highly unlikely that we will witness such scheduling again this coming summer. Given the scale of the event, an announcement would have likely been made by now if it were to occur. Additionally, FIFA’s extended World Club Cup appears to have effectively ruled out the possibility of hosting a significant international final during that period.
Nevertheless, Argentina has World Cup qualifying matches against Chile and Colombia in June. Meanwhile, Spain might use this period for friendly games; however, they could also find themselves competing in either the Nations League finals or the third-place playoff match, contingent upon the outcome of their forthcoming quarter-final against the Netherlands.
The result of Spain's match against the Netherlands will decide which group they will be placed in for UEFA's forthcoming 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign. Regardless of the outcome, this pairing will feature in both matches during every international break in September, October, and November of the coming season.
The earliest feasible chance for the Finalissima falls in March 2026, marking also the final opportunity before focus shifts towards the 2026 World Cup. TyC Sports It has been reported that arrangements are set for that period.
It now appears highly likely that Argentina will secure qualification well before the final round of matches, which means they won’t participate in the inter-confederation World Cup play-offs scheduled for March 2026.
If Spain falter during qualification, they might find themselves in UEFA’s secondary playoff round, potentially disrupting plans for the Finalissima.
QUIZ: Could you list all 27 athletes who have played with both Messi and Ronaldo during their careers?
A potential goodbye for Messi at Camp Nou?
We are waiting for both a date and information about a venue.
But Argentinian outlet BOLA VIP has suggested that Barcelona President Joan Laporta may be considering bidding to have the Camp Nou stadium host the event.
The bond between Laporta and Messi is thought to be chilly after the challenging conditions surrounding the Argentine’s unexpected departure in 2021. Messi has frequently stated that he did not wish to depart, yet the club’s dire financial situation required him to go.
Despite this, Laporta has expressed his wish for Barcelona’s renewed Camp Nou to be the venue for a goodbye game honoring the team’s all-time best player.
A friendly between Barcelona and Inter Miami has been mooted, but the Finalissima would offer an alternative for Messi to receive a proper Catalonian send-off.
Construction of the 105,000-seat stadium (Europe's largest) is scheduled for completion in June 2026; however, it will resume operations earlier than this date.
Barcelona’s latest statement in February proposed that the Camp Nou might still reopen before the conclusion of the 2024-25 season "with an approximate seating capacity exceeding 60,000 spectators."
Let's see how things unfold. However, the new Camp Nou seems like an ideal setting to witness both Yamal and Messi playing together on the field.
READ NEXT: When looking at the time it took for Lamine Yamal to net 20 goals for Barcelona versus the same tally achieved by Lionel Messi
TRY A QUIZ: The Definitive Lionel Messi Quiz: 30 Challenging Questions to Test Your Expertise on the G.O.A.T.
