'End of an era': Argentina fans mourn Messi's World Cup farewell after final loss

At Cafe Relax in the city's historic centre, fans stood in silence after the final whistle before the emotion started to spill out.

"I feel empty. Empty because of Messi, because I will not see him at a World Cup again. This was his last one," said 22-year-old architecture student Camilo Cichero, while trying to calm a friend who was crying.

"It did not happen the way we hoped. At least knowing he already won the biggest things gives me some peace."

That was the feeling for a lot of people there.

The defeat hurt, but what really stung was the sense that something bigger had just ended. Messi is 39 now, and even before the final there was already a feeling that this would be his last World Cup. After the game, that thought hit harder than the result itself for some supporters.

Juan Saenz, a 22-year-old law student, put it bluntly.

"This was Messi's last match. This is the real end, and it ended like this."

"I was born while Messi was already playing, and this is the moment that era ends."

Before kick-off, there was still belief.

Argentina had come through the tournament the hard way, grinding out close wins and dragging themselves into another final. Fans turned up in bars and public squares wearing blue and white, wrapped in flags and ready to believe one more time.

At Cafe Relax, where a banner about the Falkland Islands hangs inside, the mood shifted as the match wore on. Excitement gave way to tension by half-time. In the 2nd half, there were angry shouts at the screen, nervous chants and the kind of silence that only shows up when people can feel the game slipping away.

When Enzo Fernandez was sent off, panic really set in.

"Oh no, it cannot be, please, please!" one woman cried out.

By extra time, people were worn out. Teresa Dolores del Rio Varela, 87, watching with a friend of the same age, said the match had gone on too long and the nerves were becoming too much. Joaquin Romero, 22, still believed Argentina would somehow find a way because, in his words, that is what champions do.

But they did not. Ferran Torres scored, the room went flat, and the comeback never came. There was still applause for the team, but there was also frustration. Cichero said he was upset not only because of Messi, but because he did not like the way Argentina played.

Others took a different view. Abel Torres, a 62-year-old retiree wearing a blue-and-white clown hat and blowing a vuvuzela throughout the match, cried as he called the night deeply emotional.

"Argentina gave everything," he said. "This was proof of the Argentine spirit. No matter what happens, we always get back up."

"This was not our World Cup, but this team taught us a lot about never giving up."

Even after the loss, fireworks still went off around the city, car horns kept sounding and thousands headed toward the Obelisk. A lot of fans said they would still go out to welcome the team home.

President Javier Milei posted on X: "Thank you very much to the players. You fought until the end. Argentina will always hold its head high."

The cup is gone. Messi's World Cup story probably is too. That was the part many in Buenos Aires were really mourning.