An Instagram post showing Lionel Messi holding the Copa America has become the most liked sports photo in the social media site’s history.
Messi and Argentina won the trophy for the first time since 1993 last Sunday.
Angel di Maria scored the only goal of the game in the first half as they defeated Brazil 1-0 in the Maracana.
It was Messi’s first major tournament triumph with Argentina, having previously reached four finals with his national side.
The 34-year-old was crowned as the tournament’s best player and was also the joint-top scorer alongside Colombia’s Luis Diaz.
After the game, he posted a photo to Instagram which shows him holding the prestigious trophy.
Since it was posted on July 11, the post has racked up over 20.7 million likes (at the time of writing.) That is more than any other sports photo in Instagram history.
The record was previously held by Messi’s long-time on-pitch rival Cristiano Ronaldo. His post in tribute to the late Diego Maradona last year garnered over 19 million likes.
Messi dedicates Copa America win to Argentinian people and Maradona
Following the victory over Brazil, Messi dedicated the Copa America title to “45 million Argentines”.
He also dedicated the victory to Maradona, who passed away in November 2020.
In a separate Instagram post to above, Messi wrote (translation via Goal): “It was an incredible Copa America.
“We know that we can still improve a lot of things, but the truth is that the guys gave it everything and I can’t be more proud to have the luck of being captain of this spectacular group.
“I want to dedicate this success to my family, who always gave me the strength to move forward, to my friends that I love so much, to all the people that believe in us and most of all to the 45 million Argentines who have endured such a tough time with this virus… especially those that have been personally affected.
“This is for all, and of course also for Diego, who surely was supporting us from wherever he is.
“In order to continue celebrating we have to continue taking care of ourselves. Let’s not forget that there is still a long way to go to return to normality and I hope we can take advantage of this happiness to gain a little strength to fit the virus together.”
Featured Image Credit: Getty
