Lionel Messi is finally facing the music.
Following Spain’s 1-0 FIFA World Cup Final win on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium, the 39-year-old and his team ducked their media obligations and headed straight to the team bus through a back exit.
On Monday, Messi addressed the crushing loss in an Instagram post that detailed the “immense” pain he is enduring in the aftermath.
“The pain is immense, and it will take time for this wound to heal,” Messi wrote. “But I also hold on to all the good… The matches we turned around, giving our all, matches that will forever remain in our memories, the support of an entire country that, together with the hard work and effort of this group, led us to be, once again, among the best in the world. Today it’s hard to fully appreciate what we accomplished, but this group reached two consecutive World Cup finals.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart for every greeting and every message. Once again, we managed to unite as a country and be together, sharing the immense pride of being Argentinian.
“I also want to congratulate Spain on winning the championship,” he concluded.
After the loss, Messi could be seen flooded with emotion on the pitch, as Argentina lost its chance to win back-to-back titles.
He took some time to sit on the ground, but Messi did get up to shake hands and hug Spain star Lamine Yamal after his win, in what was a full-circle moment for the generational players.
Still, Argentina skipped the media requirements, and Messi followed the rest of the deflated-looking team to the stadium’s loading dock after some post-match ugliness soured the end of the celebrated tournament.
Not all players are required to speak to the media after a World Cup match, however, teams are required to designate some players to be available.
Fox analyst Alexi Lalas called the move “weak.”
Messi scored eight goals in this year’s World Cup, which placed him in high contention for the Golden Boot award.
Yet, France’s Kylian Mbappé surged past him with 10 after scoring two goals in the third-place game won by England 6-4.
