Magnanimous! Messi Congratulates Spain on Their Title, First Response to World Cup Defense Failure: The Wound Is Hard to Heal

On July 21, Beijing time, after a day of silence, 39-year-old Argentine captain Lionel Messi finally broke his silence on social media. He admitted that the pain of the World Cup final defeat is hard to recover from, but he still generously extended his congratulations to Spain.

Messi wrote with deep feeling: "It’s extremely painful, and this wound won’t heal easily. Yet I will hold on to all the beautiful things. The matches we turned around with all our effort will forever remain in memory; along with the support of the entire nation, plus the dedication and hard work of this team, which made us once again one of the best in the world. It’s hard to evaluate everything we’ve achieved right now, but this team has reached the World Cup final twice in a row."

Messi also sincerely thanked every greeting and message he received: "We have once again come together as a nation, all united, sharing the immense pride of being Argentine. Finally, congratulations to Spain on winning the championship!"

In the World Cup final one day earlier, the defending champion Argentina men’s football team fought through extra time but was ultimately defeated by a last-minute goal, losing 0-1 to Spain, thus failing to retain the World Cup title.

During the award ceremony after the match, the 39-year-old Argentine captain Messi, while receiving the silver medal and facing the Argentine fans' section, was overcome with emotion, tears streaming down his face—a deeply moving moment.

In this final, Messi played all 120 minutes, taking only one shot and successfully completing all three of his dribbles. He also drew four fouls from the opposition. Unfortunately, due to the gap in strength, Argentina ultimately could not achieve back-to-back titles.

With this defeat, Messi has completed his final World Cup dance. Although he failed to reign supreme again this time, the 39-year-old still demonstrated top-tier performance. He started in seven of eight matches, scoring eight goals and providing four assists, helping his team advance all the way to the final.

Across six World Cups, Messi has made 34 appearances, contributing 21 goals and 12 assists, with one title and two runner-up finishes. The stories and legacy he has left on the highest stage of international football are already remarkable enough.