Lionel Messi came agonizingly close to winning his final World Cup, but ultimately fell short. His Argentina side failed to clear the last hurdle against Spain, their dream of a second consecutive title shattered by a 1-0 defeat in the final.
Messi was Argentina’s standout performer throughout the tournament, delivering a stellar campaign despite being 39 years old — scoring eight goals and providing four assists for his teammates. In total, he now has 21 goals and 12 assists to his name across his World Cup career.
Still, the pain of falling short of lifting the trophy once more weighs heavily on him. The Argentine superstar shared that pain in a heartfelt post on Instagram, while also making sure to congratulate the Spain team.
Below is Messi’s full post:
“The pain is deep, and it will take a long time for this wound to heal. But I want to hold on to the good memories…
The matches where we came back from the brink of defeat will forever stay etched in our memories. The support of an entire nation, combined with this team’s hard work and determination, brought us back among the best in the world. It’s hard to fully process what we accomplished, but this team has now reached two consecutive World Cup finals.
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for every message and word of support. Once again, we came together as a country and shared the immense pride of being Argentine, together.
I’d also like to congratulate Spain on becoming champions.”
