World Cup final: 9 Spain and Argentina players have faced Flamengo

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Coluna do Fla

·17 luglio 2026

World Cup final: 9 Spain and Argentina players have faced Flamengo

World Cup Final Will Feature Familiar Faces for Flamengo Fans

Spain and Argentina will decide the World Cup next Sunday (19). The match will take place at MetLife Stadium, in New Jersey, United States, starting at 4:00 PM (Brasília time). Both teams have some familiar faces for Flamengo fans, some of them frequent victims.

WHICH SPAIN PLAYERS HAVE ALREADY FACED FLAMENGO?

On Spain’s side, two players have already faced Flamengo, both last year. Left back Marc Cucurella, then at Chelsea (ENG) and now at Real Madrid (ESP), saw Mengão cruise to a 3-1 win in the Club World Cup. Fabián Ruiz, meanwhile, won the Intercontinental title against Mais Querido with PSG (FRA), on penalties.

OneFootball Video

Marc Cucurella – Flamengo 3×1 Chelsea (ENG) – Club World Cup 2025 Fabián Ruiz – Flamengo 1×1 PSG (FRA) – Intercontinental 2025

WHICH ARGENTINA PLAYERS HAVE ALREADY FACED FLAMENGO?

The Argentine list is longer, since most of them started out at clubs in the country and have already played in the Libertadores and the Copa Sudamericana. Special mention goes to three players who were runners-up to Mengão in the unforgettable 2019 final between Flamengo and River Plate (ARG): Gonzalo Montiel, Exequiel Palacios, and Julián Alvarez. Another frequent victim is Flaco López, beaten in last year’s final with Palmeiras.

However, the “hermana” connection does not bring only good memories for Flamengo. After all, Nicolás Tagliafico was at Independiente (ARG), winners of the 2017 Copa Sudamericana right in the Maracanã. The list also includes Thiago Almada, a Mengão transfer target. The midfielder faced Mais Querido for Vélez (ARG) and Botafogo.

Enzo Fernández – Flamengo 3×1 Chelsea (ENG) – Club World Cup 2025 Gonzalo Montiel – Flamengo 2×2 River Plate – Libertadores 2018 – River Plate 0x0 Flamengo – Libertadores 2018 – Flamengo 2×1 River Plate – Libertadores final 2019 Nicolás Tagliafico Independiente 2×1 Flamengo – Sudamericana final 2017 Flamengo 1×1 Independiente – Sudamericana final 2017 Exequiel Palacios – Flamengo 2×2 River Plate – Libertadores 2018 – River Plate 0x0 Flamengo – Libertadores 2018 – Flamengo 2×1 River Plate – Libertadores final 2019 Thiago Almada – Vélez Sarsfield 2×3 Flamengo – Libertadores 2021 – Flamengo 0x0 Vélez Sarsfield – Libertadores 2021 – Botafogo 4×1 Flamengo – Brasileirão 2024 Julián Alvarez – Flamengo 2×1 River Plate – Libertadores final 2019 Flaco López 12 matches: 5 Flamengo wins, 4 draws, and 3 wins for Flaco with Palmeiras

WHAT IS AT STAKE IN THE WORLD CUP FINAL?

For Spain, it means a second world title. The Europeans lifted the trophy in 2010. Argentina, meanwhile, are chasing their fourth, after winning glory in 1978, 1986, and 2022. In addition, Lionel Messi’s team will have the chance to win back-to-back titles, an achievement only managed by Italy (34-38) and Brazil (58-62).

WHAT IS THE AUTHOR’S OPINION ON THE TOPIC?

— The World Cup final promises a lot. Of Flamengo’s old rivals, I’ll highlight one from each side. Marc Cucurella is now one of the best left backs in the world and should go head-to-head with Messi. It promises to be a very intense direct duel! On the other side, Enzo Fernández played a decisive role against Egypt and England in this World Cup and could be the hero of the rivals’ fourth title. We’ll see — commented Pedro Paulo Catonho, journalist for Coluna do Fla.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.