Lionel Messi was visibly emotional on the pitch after Argentina's loss to Spain in the World Cup final, an event that marked the likely end of his storied World Cup career. The Argentine captain, who has spent a significant portion of his career with Barcelona, was unable to help his team score during the 120 minutes of play.
The tournament held in the United States was almost certainly Messi's last international competition. His tearful reaction at the final whistle underscored the significance of the moment. After the game concluded, he fell to the ground, covering his face and appearing inconsolable amidst teammates and opponents.
Following the presentation of his runners-up medal by Donald Trump, Messi became overwhelmed with emotion, breaking into tears as Spain prepared to lift the trophy. While Messi is expected to continue his playing career with Inter Miami, his age of 43 at the time of the next World Cup makes another appearance highly unlikely.
This was Messi's third World Cup final. He previously reached the final in 2014 in Brazil, where Argentina lost to Germany in extra time, and won the tournament in Qatar four years prior to this match. In the recent final, Spain's Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal late in the second period of extra time.
Messi found it difficult to influence the game against Spain's defense. Despite an estimated global audience of 1.7 billion viewers watching, he struggled to find his rhythm and could not steer his team to victory.
After receiving his medal, Messi stood before the Argentina supporters in the stadium, allowing his emotions to surface. Social media reactions reflected the sentiment of many fans, with one user on X writing, 'You aren't a football fan if you don't feel sad for Messi.' Another commented, 'Thanks for everything you put into this game. You'll always be the best.' A third described him as 'the greatest of all time. The best to ever do it.'