Lionel Messi shared an emotional message, speaking out for the first time since Argentina’s loss to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final.
In an Instagram post on Monday, July 20, Messi posted a photo of himself wearing the silver medal awarded to Argentina after the game for their second-place finish. The initial message was posted in Spanish but has been translated to English.
“The pain is so great and it’s going to be hard for me to close this wound,” the soccer star said. “But I’ll keep all the good stuff too. With the matches we turned leaving everything and that will remain forever in the memory, with the support of an entire country that together with the work and effort of this group led us to be, once again, among the best in the world. Today it’s hard to evaluate what we did, but this group reached two consecutive World Cup finals.”
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart for every greeting and every message,” he continued. “Once again, we managed to unite as a country and stand together, sharing the immense pride of being Argentine.”
Messi also took a moment at the end of his post to congratulate Spain on their impressive victory.
“I also want to congratulate Spain for the championship,” he concluded.
Fans Shower Lionel Messi With Support After Loss
“GRACIAS LEO❤️,” the adidas football account posted.
“You are the pride of the whole country. Eternally THANK YOU 🇦🇷,” popular content creator Federico Racchi, who has over 300,000 followers, commented.
“Thank you, Leo. Thank you for making millions of Argentinians dream together again. For delivering as always. And for taking us, once again, to the end. You are eternal. 🇦🇷🐐,” one account wrote.
“Thank you for bringing joy to absolutely every home in Argentina! What pride for us!!! We love you so much!!!,” another account shared.
“Thank you for everything, Leo💙,” a fan said.
“Gracias GOAT👏🐐💙,” another fan expressed.
“Thank you for so many joys, GOAT 🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷,” one fan stated.
“Thank you Capi 🐐 you are the greatest of all time!!!. We love you strong ❤️,” someone posted.
Lionel Messi Expected To Retire
GettyOn the field following the game, Messi was clearly emotional, with the camera capturing him crying while watching Spain receive the trophy. And with that, many believe his reaction was due to the speculation that this is Messi’s final international competition with Argentina.
“I hope that everyone feels proud of him, of what he’s achieved because he’s the best football player ever stepping foot on a pitch,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said.
And following the game, the Argentine Football Association posted in honor of Messi.
“Your tears are our tears, Captain,” the AFA wrote on X. “You gave us the greatest joys of our lives. Thank you for the dedication, for the magic, and for giving it your all until the very last second. We love you forever, Leo!”
However, Messi has yet to officially announce his retirement.
