Fans hold a banner depicting Argentine football legends Diego Maradona, Mario Kempes and Lionel Messi holding FIFA World Cup trophies as supporters gather near the Argentine Football Association (AFA) training camp in Ezeiza, Buenos Aires Province, on July 20, 2026, while awaiting the arrival of Argentina’s national football team from the United States following its defeat in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final.
| Photo Credit: AFP
After what may have been his final World Cup match, Lionel Messi was in tears on the field Sunday (July 19, 2026) in East Rutherford, N.J., ruing a missed chance to win a second consecutive title for Argentina.
Messi, without hinting whether his World Cup career was officially through, congratulated Spain and said the memories will last in an Instagram post on Monday (July 20, 2026).
“The pain is immense, and this wound will take time to heal,” Messi wrote in his native Spanish alongside a photo of him bearing a 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.”
Argentina defeated France on penalty kicks following a 3-3 draw in the 2022 final in Qatar, earning the last piece of major hardware Messi had yet to win in his illustrious career.
Argentina were once again one of the best teams in the 2026 tournament in North America. They rallied past England in the semifinals before coming up against a Spanish defense that held them without a shot on goal.
Messi turned 39 during the tournament and will turn 43 during the 2030 World Cup to be held in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
“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 broke Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 all-time World Cup goals early in the tournament, and he finished with 21, though he was caught and surpassed by Kylian Mbappe (22). The French star also denied Messi a Golden Boot, finishing with 10 goals to the Argentine’s eight.
ESPN reported on Monday that Messi and his national team and club teammate Rodrigo De Paul will not play the next two regular-season matches for Inter Miami, nor participate in the MLS All-Star Game, as they rest and recover from the World Cup.
Published – July 21, 2026 07:18 am IST
