The dream of retaining the title ended in the final. But even amid the pain of defeat, Lionel Messi did not forget to honor his opponents. A day after Argentina’s 1-0 loss to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final, the Argentine captain posted an emotional message on social media.
On his Instagram account, Messi wrote: “The pain is very deep, and this wound will take a long time to heal. But I want to hold on to the good memories.”
Messi, outstanding throughout the tournament, finished the World Cup with 8 goals and 4 assists. In all, he now has 21 goals and 12 assists at World Cups.
That team success matters more to him than personal achievement was clear throughout the message. He wrote: “The matches in which we gave everything and fought back will stay in our memories forever. The support of the whole country and the hard work of this team have once again placed us among the best in the world. It is hard to measure what we did today. But this team reached two World Cup finals in a row.”
The Argentine captain also thanked the fans: “Heartfelt thanks for every good wish and message. Once again we were able to come together as a nation and share the immense pride of being Argentine.”
Even amid his own heartbreak, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner did not forget to congratulate world champions Spain. In the final line of the post he wrote: “I also want to congratulate Spain for becoming champions.”
Messi’s message after the final has already drawn a huge response on social media. Disappointment, gratitude and respect for the opponent — many see the post as a reflection of a true legend’s sportsmanship.
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