A heartbroken Lionel Messi burst into tears on the pitch after collecting his runners-up medal in what will almost certainly be his final ever World Cup appearance.
The Argentina captain – who spent most of his career playing in Barcelona – was ineffectual against Spain in the New Jersey showdown as his team failed to find the net in 120 minutes.
The tournament in America was almost certainly Messi’s final international bow, and his emotional full-time reaction went some way to confirming that.
When the final whistle blew, he dropped to the ground and held his hands to his face, inconsolable by his teammates and opponents alike.
After gathering himself to collect his runners-up medal from Donald Trump, the emotions of the moment became too much for the sport’s greatest-of-all-time as he burst into tears just before Spain lifted the trophy.
Messi’s career will continue with Inter Miami but he is unlikely to play at the highest level again for his country, given he will be 43 when the next World Cup takes place.
Lionel Messi let the tears flow just moments after collecting his World Cup runners-up medal
At the end of what was likely his last World Cup game, Messi appeared inconsolable
In a heartbreaking scene, he sat alone on the turf at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium
Messi was appearing in his third World Cup final, four years after he lifted the trophy for his country in Qatar.
His first time in the biggest game of them all came in 2014 in Brazil, when he and his countrymen were beaten in extra-time by Germany.
It was the same result for the heartbroken Messi on Sunday, as Spain’s Ferran Torres scored the only goal of the game deep into the additional 30-minute period.
In the game itself, Messi struggled to make an impact against the country he knows so well, barely getting a kick against the likes of Lamine Yamal and Co.
As an estimated 1.7 billion people watched on from around the world, waiting for Messi to produce the magic we so often see from him, he struggled to find the pace of the game and could not help his team to victory.
Messi sits on the grass at MetLife and watches Spain’s players celebrate their triumph
It is unlikely football fans will ever see the great man grace the World Cup stage ever again
Eric Garcia hugs Messi on the pitch at the end of a hard-fought 1-0 Spain win in New Jersey
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How should Messi’s World Cup legacy be remembered after this emotional farewell?
After collecting his losers’ medal from Trump, he stood in front of the Argentina fans inside the stadium, letting the emotion pour out of him.
On X, one fan wrote of the moment: ‘You aren’t a football fan if you don’t feel sad for Messi.’
A second added: ‘Thanks for everything you put into this game. You’ll always be the best.’
A third, meanwhile, said: ‘Damn, the greatest of all time. The best to ever do it.’
