Lionel Messi revealed “the pain is immense” after losing the World Cup final, as he spoke for the first time since the defeat.
Argentina lost 1-0 to Spain in Sunday’s showpiece after Ferran Torres netted an extra-time winner for La Roja, who lifted the trophy for a second time (also in 2010).
Messi became just the second ever player to play in three men’s World Cup finals (also 2014 and 2022), after Brazil’s Cafu (1994, 1998, 2002).
And at 39 years and 25 days, Messi is also the second-oldest World Cup finalist after Italy’s Dino Zoff in 1982 (40y 133d).
Argentina were far from their best against Spain, recording just two shots in the 120 minutes of action, the first of which came from Messi in the 117th minute.
Messi admitted it will take time to get over the loss, but was proud of Argentina’s World Cup campaign this summer, nonetheless.
“The pain is immense and it will take time for this wound to heal,” Messi wrote on Instagram.
Tus lágrimas son las nuestras, Capitán
Nos diste las alegrías más grandes de nuestras vidas. Gracias por la entrega, por la magia y por dar la vida hasta el último segundo
¡Te amamos para siempre, Leo! pic.twitter.com/YxcYJbwuPl
— Selección Argentina (@Argentina) July 19, 2026
“But I also cherish all the good… The matches we turned around, giving our all, which will forever remain in our memories, 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.
“Thank you so much 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.
“I also want to congratulate Spain on the championship.”
Messi finished second in the Golden Boot race, scoring eight goals to Kylian Mbappe’s 10, while they both assisted four times.
The Frenchman is also the leading scorer in World Cup history (22 to Messi’s 21), despite Messi being the first to break Miroslav Klose’s record this summer.
Messi did not reveal whether he would immediately retire from international duty, but featuring at another World Cup seems unlikely for the 39-year-old.
