Former midfielder Toni Kroos became the focus on social media after posting a message believed to be aimed at the Argentine national team, right after the 2026 World Cup final between Spain and the South American representative.
Spain defeated Argentina with a score of 1-0 after extra time to win the World Cup for the second time in history. The scorer of the decisive goal was Ferran Torres after an assist from Nico Williams.
Immediately after the match ended, Kroos shared a short status on his personal page: "Football has won".
Although not directly mentioning Argentina or any individuals, the post of the former German international quickly created many mixed opinions. Many fans believe that this is a mockery towards Lionel Messi and his teammates after the defeat in the final. The article also attracted millions of views in just a short time.
In the match, Spain controlled the game and created many dangerous opportunities, but had to wait until extra time to penetrate the net of goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. The Argentine goalkeeper had a prominent match with a series of saves, helping his team maintain balance for most of the match.
Difficulties piled up for Argentina when midfielder Enzo Fernandez received a second yellow card and left the field at the end of the second half. Playing with one less player in extra time, coach Lionel Scaloni's team could not prevent Ferran Torres' goal, thereby missing the opportunity to defend the world championship.
Kroos's reaction attracted even more attention when the former 36-year-old midfielder, who was once in the German national team squad, defeated Argentina 1-0 in the 2014 World Cup final at the Maracana stadium. At that time, Mario Gotze scored the decisive goal in extra time, helping "Die Mannschaft" win the championship.
After 12 years, Argentina once again lost with the same score of 0-1 after 120 minutes in a World Cup final. This time, Kroos is no longer playing, but his statement still creates many debates on social media platforms.
