New York [USA], July 18 (ANI): US President Donald Trump, ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 final between Spain and Argentina, praised Lionel Messi's brilliance, hailed Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane as exceptional players.

Addressing an event ahead of the FIFA World Cup final scheduled for Sunday (local time), Trump, on Friday, praised Messi, calling his assist to Enzo Fernandez's goal in the semifinal clash against England nearly perfect and saying great players possess something special.

He also lauded Cristiano Ronaldo as a great player and person, praised Harry Kane's quality, and suggested England made a tactical error by moving Kane into a defensive role after taking the lead in the semifinal against Argentina.

'We have gathered tonight in New York City as we await the final faceoff on Sunday between the two amazing teams, Spain and Argentina. I watched that pass that Messi made. He was well guarded by a great player and then he moved to the right, and the other player was just standing there. He kicked it. It was within, I would say, a quarter of an inch of being perfect. And that was the end of the game. It was brilliant,' he said.

Notably, England manager Thomas Tuchel made a series of defensive substitutions, switching to a back five before introducing more defenders, allowing Argentina to dominate possession and pile on relentless pressure and as a result, the Three Lions conceded two late goals to lose the semifinal contest 2-1.

'These great players, they seem to do that over and over again. They're just born with something extra. Ronaldo is one of them. I got to know him over the years and he's a great guy. You have a great player in England who I played golf with, you know that, right? Harry Kane who's been fantastic. They perhaps made a mistake when they made him a defensive player. They took the lead and they took their best player and then put him on defense,' he added.

Following their respective semi-final victories, defending champions Argentina and European champions Spain are set to face off in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final, setting the stage for a highly anticipated clash between great Lionel Messi and teenage sensation Lamine Yamal.

Spain secured their place in the title clash with a 2-0 win over France, while Argentina produced a comeback to defeat England 2-1 after trailing 1-0, with a stoppage-time winner sealing their passage to the final.

Messi heads into the championship match at the top of the Golden Boot standings, edging France captain Kylian Mbappe after registering two assists in Argentina's semi-final victory over England. (ANI)