Argentina captain, Lionel Messi has broken an Instagram record previously held by his biggest rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, after winning the Copa America earlier this month.
Messi finally won on the international stage, as Albiceleste beat hosts Brazil 1-0 in the final of the competition.
Following that victory on July 10, Messi took to Instagram to celebrate their triumph, with a post.
It was a picture of him in the dressing room, holding the trophy alongside the caption: “What a beautiful madness! This is unbelievable! Thank you, God! We are the champions!”
As things stand, the photo has been liked more than 20 million times, thus making the image the most popular Instagram post ever posted by an athlete.
Messi reacts as Argentina beat Brazil to win Copa America
Ronaldo’s record lasted just under a year. The Juventus superstar had the most liked post on the photo-sharing site – a touching tribute to the late Diego Maradona after his death in late 2020.
Coincidentally, Messi’s own tribute to Maradona, someone he worked closely with in the international set-up, also featured in the top 20 most popular posts from an athlete, having been liked 16.4 million times, placing it 16th in the list.
