Lionel Messi revealed his letter to all the Argentinians, revealing "the pain is immense" after losing the World Cup final, as he spoke for the first time since the defeat.

Argentina lost 1-0 to Spain in Sunday's showpiece after Ferran Torres netted an extra-time winner for La Roja, who lifted the trophy for a second time (also in 2010).

Messi became just the second ever player to play in three men’s World Cup finals (also 2014 and 2022), after Brazil’s Cafu (1994, 1998, 2002).

And at 39 years and 25 days, Messi is also the second-oldest World Cup finalist after Italy’s Dino Zoff in 1982 (40y 133d).

Argentina were far from their best against Spain, recording just two shots in the 120 minutes of action, the first of which came from Messi in the 117th minute.

Messi admitted it will take time to get over the loss, but was proud of Argentina's World Cup campaign this summer, nonetheless.

"The pain is immense, 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.

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."