World Cup: Messi thanks Argentina fans but ‘wound will take time to heal’
Argentina lost 1-0 to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final, likely ending Lionel Messi's World Cup career. Messi posted on Instagram expressing pain over the loss while thanking Argentine fans and acknowledging the team's achievement in reaching consecutive World Cup finals.
Argentina's bid for back-to-back World Cup titles ended in disappointment as Spain secured a 1-0 victory in the final held in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The match may represent the conclusion of Lionel Messi's World Cup career, a possibility that left the Argentine star visibly emotional on the field following the defeat.
In a statement posted to Instagram the following day, Messi acknowledged the difficulty of the loss while reflecting on the team's accomplishments. He described the pain as immense and noted that healing would require time. Despite the setback, he emphasized the positive memories created during the tournament and credited the unified support of the Argentine nation alongside the team's collective effort for returning the country to elite status in international football.
Messi highlighted that Argentina had achieved the significant milestone of reaching two consecutive World Cup finals. The team's previous success came in 2022 when they defeated France on penalty kicks following a 3-3 draw in Qatar, a victory that secured the final major trophy missing from Messi's career. In the 2026 tournament, Argentina advanced past England in the semifinal before encountering Spain's defensive wall, which prevented them from registering a shot on goal.
At 39 years old during the tournament, Messi's age raises questions about future World Cup participation, particularly given that the 2030 edition will take place in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco when he would be 43. Throughout the 2026 competition, Messi set a new World Cup scoring record with 21 goals, surpassing Miroslav Klose's previous mark of 16, though he was subsequently overtaken by Kylian Mbappe's 22 goals. Messi finished with eight goals in the knockout stages, missing out on the Golden Boot award.
Following the tournament, ESPN reported that Messi and teammate Rodrigo De Paul would sit out Inter Miami's next two regular-season matches and skip the MLS All-Star Game to recover from the World Cup campaign.
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