Argentina captain Lionel Messi has spoken publicly for the first time after his country’s narrow defeat to Spain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, describing the loss as one of the most painful moments of his career while expressing pride in his teammates and congratulating the newly crowned champions.
The Inter Miami forward shared an emotional message on Instagram on Monday, less than 24 hours after Argentina lost 1-0 to Spain following extra time at the World Cup final in New York. Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal, ending Argentina’s hopes of successfully defending the title they won in Qatar four years earlier.
Messi, who left the stadium without speaking to reporters after the final whistle, admitted that accepting the defeat would take time.
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“The pain is so great, and it’s going to be hard for me to close this wound. But I’ll keep all the good stuff too… With the matches we turned around leaving everything, and that will remain forever in the memory.”
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner said reaching consecutive World Cup finals remains an achievement that should not be overlooked despite the disappointment of missing out on another title.
“Today it’s hard to evaluate what we did, but this group reached two consecutive World Cup finals.”
The 39-year-old also thanked millions of Argentinians who rallied behind the national team throughout the tournament.
“Thank you very much from the heart for every greeting and every message. Once again we managed to unite as a country and be all together, sharing the immense pride of being Argentinian.”
Messi ended his message by congratulating Spain on lifting the World Cup.
“I also want to congratulate Spain on the championship.”
Spain secured victory through Ferran Torres’ extra-time strike after a disciplined defensive performance frustrated Argentina throughout the match. Argentina struggled to create clear-cut opportunities and only tested the Spanish goalkeeper late in extra time.
Attention has now shifted to Messi’s international future following what many expect to be his final World Cup appearance. The Argentine icon has yet to announce whether he will retire from international football.
Coach Lionel Scaloni insisted the decision belongs entirely to Messi, praising the veteran forward for another outstanding tournament.
Messi finished the competition with eight goals and four assists, capping another memorable World Cup campaign despite falling short in the final.
Although Argentina failed to defend the title won in Qatar in 2022, the South Americans became the first team since Brazil in 1998 to reach consecutive FIFA World Cup finals, underlining the remarkable consistency of Scaloni’s squad.
