RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. Lionel Messi said the "wound will take time to heal" after Argentina lost to Spain in extra time in the 2026 FIFA men's World Cup final last Sunday, July 19.
The final images of Messi , 39, from the World Cup were of tears streaming down his face — perhaps realizing his soccer mortality at the end of what was likely his sixth and final World Cup. He is the only man to have started three World Cup finals, but he has now fallen short twice — losing to Germany in 2014, beating France in 2022, and losing to Spain in 2026.
While his reputation as a world football god is untouchable, he and this Argentine squad would have unlocked the ultimate immortality if they had beaten Spain to become only the third-ever repeat men's World Cup champions and the first in 64 years. That's a lot for one man to process.
But in his first public appearance since the World Cup final, Messi seems to have begun the healing process by going back to where it all began.
Messi was spotted at a match between Argentine clubs Leones de Rosario and Central Cordoba in his hometown of Rosario on Saturday, July 25:
In the immediate aftermath of losing the World Cup final, Messi posted an Instagram photo that has since been liked over 19.7 million times.
"The pain is immense, and this wound will take time to heal," Messi wrote in his lengthy Instagram caption. "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."
He continued, "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."
Messi notched eight goals and four assists during Argentina's World Cup run and lost the Golden Ball when France's Kylian Mbappe scored a brace in the 3rd-place match against England.
It remains unclear when Messi will rejoin Inter Miami CF to finish the MLS season, per ESPN's Lizzy Becherano , but he will not be available for the 2026 MLS All-Star Game on Wednesday, July 29. Messi is the reigning back-to-back MLS MVP and led Inter Miami to its first MLS Cup last year.
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