Notti Mondiali, the last edition: Spain are world champions, Ferran Torres on 106 and the summer's final accounts

The 2026 World Cup ended on 19 July in East Rutherford: Spain 1-0 Argentina after extra time, Ferran Torres scoring on 106 minutes with Argentina down to ten after Enzo Fernandez's red card. Golden Ball to Rodri, Golden Boot to Mbappe, Golden Glove to Unai Simon. Here is the reckoning of the biggest tournament ever, the official highlights of the final and a goodbye: the column ends here.

The ball went back in the drawer on 19 July at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, and it stayed there: Spain beat Argentina 1-0 after extra time to sew a second star onto the shirt, sixteen years after Johannesburg. Ninety one-sided minutes in terms of possession and chances, but no goals, with Emiliano Martinez pushing away everything that came his way. Then the moment that broke the game open: Enzo Fernandez, booked on 82 minutes for dissent, was sent off on 93 for a brutal challenge on Pau Cubarsi, Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic's second yellow leaving Argentina a man down for the whole of extra time. On 106 minutes Nico Williams picked out Ferran Torres, who made no mistake: 1-0, and the trophy headed for Madrid. The day before, in Miami, the third-place match had served up the wildest game of the tournament: England 6-4 France, ten goals, an all-time record for a World Cup consolation final.

The individual awards tell the story neatly. The Golden Ball went to Rodri, the brain and metronome of La Roja; the Golden Boot to Kylian Mbappe with 10 goals, the first man to win it back-to-back after 2022, the only consolation for a France side that finished fourth; the Golden Glove to Unai Simon and his seven clean sheets in a single World Cup; the Young Player award to Pau Cubarsi, the man fouled for the red card that decided the final. Around all that, the numbers of an unprecedented edition: 48 teams, 104 matches, 308 goals and more than 6.8 million spectators across the United States, Canada and Mexico, an average of 65,490 per game and stadiums 99.7% full. The biggest World Cup ever, in every sense.

The words, as always, came the next day. Lionel Messi chose Instagram: "The pain is immense, and it will take time for this wound to heal", while pointing out that this group reached two consecutive World Cup finals. Enzo Fernandez apologised twenty-four hours after the defeat, calling his own mistake unacceptable. On the other side, Lamine Yamal summed it up in a few words - "almost completed the set" - before grabbing the microphone on the open-top bus during Madrid's parade; on the final itself he added a note of respect for Messi, "someone I have always admired".

Football has moved on since, and not always gently. On 8 August, Jorge Messi - Lionel's father and long-time agent - died in Rosario at the age of 68; illness had kept him away from the American stadiums for his son's last World Cup. In the message with which he said goodbye, Leo admitted he did not know how to carry on and left every option open about his own future on the pitch, at 39. No announcement, no decision: just a man asking for time. The rest, for now, can wait.

And here the column stops. NOTTI MONDIALI was born to cover the games played while Italy slept: from today there are none left to wait up for. We leave you with the official highlights of the final, and we move to where football keeps going - the transfer market, the leagues, the everyday stories. Thanks for keeping us company for a whole summer.

TransferBeat aggregates transfer news citing the original sources. Developing story.