Lionel Messi has taken to social media to speak following Argentina’s World Cup final defeat by Spain that left the forward crying on the pitch.
Messi was bidding to lead his country to World Cup glory for the second time in as many tournaments on Sunday, but Argentina came up short on the night.
It was a game of intense controversy and drama, with an investigation underway into Argentina’s conduct after the game, which saw the likes of Leandro Paredes lose their cool and get violent at the full-time whistle.
Messi himself drew attention too, as he tried to get Spain’s Marc Cucurella sent off for covering his mouth in the second-half.
But his attempts failed and the star, who finished second behind France’s Kylian Mbappe in the Golden Boot rankings, has now spoken on the ordeal.
‘The pain is immense, and this wound will take time to heal,’ he wrote on Instagram. ‘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.
Lioenl Messi has broken his silence following Argentina’s World Cup defeat that left him in tears on Sunday
‘It is hard to fully appreciate our achievement right now, but this group reached two consecutive World Cup finals. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for every greeting and message.
‘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.’
The Argentina squad has also been slammed for standing with their backs to the winning team at MetLife Stadium as Spain lifted the World Cup trophy.
Instead, the Argentina players, coaching team and staff walked over to the end where the majority of their fans were sat and turned their backs as their rivals celebrated.
Footage shows Spain players holding the World Cup trophy aloft as gold confetti explodes behind them, with the Argentina team facing the other way.
Messi and his team also refused to face the music and speak to the media following their defeat.
Argentina only had two shots in the entire match, with the first coming in the 117th minute.
