Messi breaks his silence after the World Cup final defeat: "The pain is huge..."
Reading Time: 2min | Mon. 20.07.26. | 23:28
However, he left the biggest question unanswered
It's been less than 24 hours since Lionel Messi suffered one of the toughest defeats in his career, losing the World Cup final to Spain.
Argentina's trophy-winning streak, which began in 2021 and brought two Copa America titles, the Finalissima, and the 2022 World Cup, is over, but the question overshadowing even the final defeat is Messi's future with the national team.
At 39, the match against Spain was most likely his final World Cup appearance, and he is fully aware of that, as the tears he shed last night were about far more than just the defeat.
The entire world, and especially every Argentine, was waiting with bated breath for Messi to break his silence after last night's setback and reveal his plans for the future.
La Albiceleste's captain did issue a message through an Instagram post, but left the biggest question unanswered.
"The pain is huge, and this wound will take time to heal. 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."
"It is hard to fully appreciate our achievement right now, but this group reached two consecutive World Cup finals."
🚨🚨📲 Leo Messi on IG: "The pain is immense, and it will take time for this wound to heal.
— All About Argentina 🛎🇦🇷 (@AlbicelesteTalk) July 20, 2026
"But I also choose to hold on to all the good things, the matches we turned around by giving everything, moments that will remain in our memories forever and the support of an entire… pic.twitter.com/3ZL4yFKhmA
"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," Leo wrote via Yahoo Sports.
It's clear that he wanted to keep his cards close to his chest, as he has probably yet to make the biggest decision of all - whether he will continue leading this generation of Argentina or whether he has finally grown tired of carrying the weight of the captaincy and the expectations of an entire nation on his shoulders.
It's safe to say that every football fan hopes he'll choose the former.