After what may have been the final World Cup appearance of his legendary career, Lionel Messi was left in tears on the pitch Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey, as Argentina's hopes of defending their world title came to an end.
Although Messi stopped short of confirming his international retirement, he reflected on Argentina's journey and congratulated Spain in an Instagram post on Monday.
"The pain is immense, and this wound will take time to heal," Messi wrote in his native Spanish alongside a photo of himself wearing the silver medal. "But I also hold onto all the good things... The matches we turned around by giving it our all--moments that will remain in our memories forever--and the support of an entire country which, combined with this group's hard work and effort, brought us back among the world's elite once again. It is hard to fully appreciate our achievement right now, but this group reached two consecutive World Cup finals."
Messi led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title in Qatar, where they defeated France in a dramatic penalty shootout after a thrilling 3-3 draw, securing the one major trophy that had long eluded him.
Four years later, Argentina once again emerged as one of the tournament's strongest teams at the 2026 World Cup in North America. After staging a comeback victory over England in the semifinals, they fell to a disciplined Spanish side that prevented them from registering a single shot on target in the final.
Messi celebrated his 39th birthday during the tournament. By the time the 2030 World Cup—set to be hosted by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco—arrives, he will be 43 years old, leaving uncertainty over whether he will return for another campaign.
"Thank you from the bottom of my heart for every greeting and message," Messi wrote. "Once again, we managed to unite as a country and stand together, sharing the immense pride of being Argentine.
"I also want to congratulate Spain on winning the championship."
Messi also made history during the tournament by surpassing Miroslav Klose's all-time World Cup scoring record of 16 goals. He finished his World Cup career with 21 goals, although France's Kylian Mbappé later overtook him with 22. Mbappé also claimed the Golden Boot after scoring 10 goals, while Messi finished with eight.
