Scaloni in tears: "I'll think about what to do next, we're great in victory, we have to be great in defeat too"

Spain took the crown from Argentina and became world champions for the second time in history. The "Red Fury" did it in a dominant manner, not allowing the "gauchos" a single shot on target in 120 minutes.

Lionel Scaloni, coach of the now former world champion Argentina, could not hide his emotions.

"We feel sadness, but we know we left everything on the pitch. Eternal gratitude to these guys who reached another World Cup final. They fought until the very end. I will keep a huge memory of them. We are great in victory, and we must be great in defeat," said Scaloni.

His team defended convulsively for two hours of football, but in the end they failed to defend the "golden goddess".

"Thank you to the people, thank you to the players. Thank you to the country - we gave it our all. We got here using our last atoms of strength, that's the reality. But if you leave everything on the field like we did today, it's a great example for our country. You lose, and you have to get back up. There's no other way."

For the Argentine expert, second place is as much of an achievement as winning the World Cup.

"It's very difficult to explain to people that you should enjoy finishing second as much as you do winning the tournament. And that's an achievement. I see that people are aware of what we've achieved and how we got there, especially because I've already cried a fair bit in the locker room. That's why I'm not crying now. But I have to be grateful to this group because they were warriors, and that's true. We fought against an incredible team and... they told us that they were really surprised by how competitive we were. This is very positive and I hope that it will have an impact on future generations."

When asked if anyone would remember the other from yesterday's final, Scaloni said:

"Yes, I remember who finishes second. It's so hard to get here. Of course we would have liked to have won. Gratitude and sadness, obviously. But when you leave everything on the pitch, it's very hard to blame yourself for anything."

The inevitable topic is once again Lionel Messi and his somewhat poor performance in the final.

"Well, he's 39 now. Unbelievable. There's nothing new to reveal from my side. It was crystal clear to me that he would play until he decided to stop, and that all the players in the team, his teammates and all his people would support him. And I'm sure and I hope that everyone is proud of him, of what he has achieved, because he is the best footballer of all time."

He is not even sure whether he will continue his adventure at the helm of the Argentine national team.

"To be honest, I haven't spoken to Leo, and as for me, I will speak to the president. I have an idea of ​​what I would like to do. I will see out my contract (it expires in December) and I feel the need to think, because I don't know if something this big can happen again and maybe we need to have a good talk about this. I am grateful to the president for giving me the chance to be in this position," concluded Scaloni through tears.