In the wake of Argentina's 1-0 loss to Spain in the World Cup final, Lionel Messi shared a message with Argentina fans after what likely was his last World Cup match.
On his official Instagram account, Messi reflected on the emotional weight of the defeat while highlighting the resilience and achievements of the squad throughout the tournament.
"The pain is very great and it will take time for this wound to heal," Messi wrote.
"But I also take away all the good things… With the matches we turned around leaving everything on the pitch 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 shared the difficulty of processing a loss on the biggest stage, yet urged fans to recognize the historic nature of the team's accomplishment in reaching the final stage of the tournament once again.
"Today it is hard to value what we did, but this group reached two consecutive World Cup finals," Messi wrote.
While Argentina was unable to lift the trophy for a second consecutive time, the Inter Miami forward expressed deep gratitude for the fans who rallied behind the team throughout the tournament.
"Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart for every greeting and for every message," Messi wrote.
"Once again we managed to unite as a country and all be together, sharing the immense pride of being Argentine."
Sources: Fox Sports
