Argentina are now on the verge of winning back-to-back World Cups; a win over Spain in New Jersey would make the Albiceleste only the third team to retain the trophy. Before the Argentina-Spain final, the question of Emiliano Martínez’s retirement came up when he faced the media.
The retirement question resurfaced because of something he said in 2024: in a video message on the Argentine Football Association (AFA) social media marking two years since the Qatar World Cup win, he had said, “If I win two World Cups, I’ll retire.” Asked about it before the final against Spain, the Argentine goalkeeper brushed it aside. It is not that retirement had not been discussed, but for now the keeper wants to live in the moment and is thinking only of the final. “Yes, that (retirement) came up in a conversation with Nico at the AFA training ground,” he said. “But first we have to win. Right now my whole focus is only on that (the final).”
Since losing to Saudi Arabia at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Argentina have been on a winning run, taking 13 matches in a row at “the greatest show on earth.” In normal play and especially in shootouts, Martínez becomes a hawk who is very hard to beat: last World Cup, his heroics in penalties in the quarter-final against the Netherlands and the final against France carried Argentina to the title. This tournament Argentina have won a series of nail-biting knockout matches but none went to penalties. “I’m enjoying this World Cup much more than the last one,” Martínez said before the final. “After the Saudi Arabia match I was hurting a lot. Not many shots came at me, yet they scored, and I could only make an impact in the shootout. I think I’m now playing better with my feet. On Sunday I’ll take the field, and you’ll see me smiling.”
FIFA confirmed the jerseys for the final: both teams will wear their home kits, with measures to tell them apart. Argentina will wear their traditional sky-blue-and-white stripes with white shorts and white socks — the kit in which they won the 1978, 1986 and 2022 World Cups. Spain will wear their red shirts with navy-blue shorts and socks, the kit in which they became champions in 2010. Spain take the field aiming for a second World Cup, having reached the final only once before and won, in 2010, while Argentina aim to defend their title; if the Albiceleste win, Scaloni’s side will become the third team to retain the World Cup, after Italy and Brazil.
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