Lionel Messi penned a heartbreaking note after Argentina failed to defend the FIFA World Cup title.
Argentina suffered a painful loss in the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals on Sunday, July 19, after Spain clinched the trophy following Ferran Torres’ extra time goal.
The 2022 champions faced 2010 winners in the finals at the New Jersey–New York Stadium. The Spanish team remained dominant throughout the game and claimed a 1-0 victory to win the World Cup after 16 years.
The defeat leaves the Argentina team, coach, and fans heartbroken. Messi, who played his possibly last FIFA World Cup finals, was seen fighting with tears after the final whistle.
Messi confesses, ‘the pain is immense’
The 39-year-old, who remained tight-lipped after the defeat, finally broke his silence with an emotional social media post a day later.
Taking to Instagram on Monday, July 20, the eight-time Ballon d’Or award winner shared his picture with a silver medal.
He wrote, “The pain is immense, and it will take time for this wound to heal. But I also hold on to all the good… The matches we turned around, giving our all, matches that will forever remain in our memories, and the support of an entire country that, together with the hard work and effort of this group, led us to be once again among the best in the world.”
“Today it’s hard to fully appreciate what we accomplished, but this group reached two consecutive World Cup finals. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for every greeting and every message. Once again, we managed to unite as a country and be together, sharing the immense pride of being Argentinian,” the Inter Miami star added.
Messi concluded his post by congratulating Spain on winning the championship.
Furthermore, Lionel Messi scored eight goals in the 2026 World Cup, the second-highest goal scorer behind Kylian Mbappé. He also became the oldest player in World Cup history to score a hat trick.
