Messi: The pain is great... and the wound is hard to heal after losing the World Cup

Argentine legend Lionel Messi, in his first statement since the loss to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final, affirmed that the current generation of players deserves gratitude for what they have achieved, acknowledging that “the pain is very great.” Messi wrote in a post on his Instagram account that “the pain is very great, and it will be difficult for this wound to heal.” He added, “But I also hold onto all the beautiful moments… the matches in which we managed to turn the results around after giving everything we had, which will remain etched in memory, and with the support of an entire people who contributed, alongside the work and effort of this group, to our return once again to the ranks of the world’s best national teams.” He continued, “It may be difficult today to appreciate what we have achieved, but this group reached the World Cup final two years in a row.” Messi concluded his post by saying, “From the bottom of my heart, thank you for every tribute and every message. Once again, we have succeeded in uniting the country as one, standing together, and sharing the immense pride of being Argentine. I also wish to congratulate Spain on winning the title.”