Following Argentina’s devastating loss to Spain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final held in the United States, team captain Lionel Messi has finally spoken out.
The Inter Miami FC star confessed that moving past the defeat will be an uphill battle, though he remains deeply proud of what the squad accomplished during the tournament.
After declining to address journalists following Sunday’s title match in New York, the veteran forward took to social media on Monday to share his initial thoughts on the 1-0 extra-time setback.
Media reports detailed how Spain secured their second global crown thanks to an extra-time strike by Ferran Torres. During the tense encounter, the South American champions found clear-cut chances hard to come by, recording their first shot on target only in the 117th minute.
Taking to Instagram on Monday, the football icon acknowledged the profound heartache of missing out on the trophy while emphasizing the meaningful journey that carried Argentina to a second consecutive global showpiece.
“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 leaving everything and that will remain forever in the memory, with the support of an entire country that together with the work and effort of this group led us to be, once again, among the best in the world,” Messi wrote.
Despite missing out on defending the crown they secured four years prior in Qatar, the eight-time Ballon d’Or recipient commended his teammates for making it to back-to-back title matches.
“Today it’s hard to evaluate what we did, but this group reached two consecutive World Cup finals.”
In addition, the team leader expressed profound gratitude to supporters across his home country for their relentless backing throughout the campaign.
“Thank you very much from the heart for every greeting and for every message. Once again we managed to unite as a country and be all together, sharing the immense pride of being Argentinian.”
Wrapping up his statement, the 39-year-old sports legend extended formal congratulations to the victors.
“I also want to congratulate Spain on the championship,” he said.
Entering the competition as reigning titleholders following their 2022 triumph in Qatar, Lionel Scaloni’s squad made history by becoming the first national team since Brazil in 1998 to advance to consecutive men’s global championship finals.
