Credit: Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images

(CNN)-- Argentine star Lionel Messi expressed his sadness after his country's team lost the final of the 2026 World Cup, which was held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The "Tango" team suffered a defeat at the hands of Spain, one goal to nil, at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

Messi posted on his Instagram account a picture of himself in the Argentina national team shirt, commenting: "The pain is immense, and this wound will take time to heal."

He added: "But I also hold on to all the good things, the matches where we turned the result around by giving our best, moments that will remain in our memory forever, and the support of an entire country, which, along with the hard work and effort of this group, brought us back to the world's elite once again."

The 39-year-old continued: "It is difficult now to fully appreciate our achievement, but this team reached the World Cup final twice in a row, thank you from the bottom of my heart for every greeting and message."

The player, who scored 8 goals and provided 4 assists, added: "Once again, we were able to unite as a country and stand together, sharing the immense pride of being Argentinian. I would also like to congratulate Spain on winning the tournament."