(Reuters) – Lionel Messi set yet another record on Tuesday after his Instagram post celebrating Argentina’s World Cup win became the most-liked on the platform, breaking a nearly four-year-old record held by a photo of an egg.
Having led Argentina to their first World Cup in 36 years with victory over France on Sunday, Messi proceeded to make more history off the pitch with his photo gallery on Instagram, which racked up more than 65 million likes at the time of writing.
The previous record was famously held by a stock image of an egg on a white background with 55.7 million likes, posted by the account @world_record_egg in January 2019 in an intentional bid to become the most-liked Instagram post of all time.
Messi, 35, scored twice before converting in the penalty shootout in a pulsating final described as one of the greatest ever, with the team greeted by scenes of wild jubilation on their return home.
“Champions of the world! So many times I dreamed it, so much I wanted it that I still don’t fall, I can’t believe it,” Messi wrote alongside the post that included 10 photos of him hoisting the trophy aloft and celebrating with his team mates.
“Thank you so much to my family, to all who support me and also to all who believed in us. We prove once again that Argentinians when we fight together and united we are able to achieve what we aim.
“The merit is of this group, which is above individuals, is the strength of all fighting for the same dream that was also the one of all Argentinians… We did it!”
Guinness World Records shared a series of records broken by Messi after the final, noting that he had surpassed Germany’s Lothar Matthaus for the record of most World Cup matches played, with 26.
The World Cup had been the one piece of silverware missing from Messi’s extraordinary career, during which he has been voted the world’s best player a record seven times and won the Copa America, 11 league titles and four Champions League titles among other major honours.
(Reporting by Hritika Sharma in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
