World Cup hero Lionel Messi breaks the record for the most liked Instagram post ever

Instagram has witnessed the emergence of a new most-liked photo. Over 70 million (and counting) people have liked a photo gallery uploaded by Lionel Messi, the leader of Argentina's World Cup-winning team. Messi is shown joyfully holding the FIFA World Cup Trophy in the cover photo, which was taken by photographer Shaun Botterill.

Messi's image carousel has surpassed @world record egg’s previous record of nearly 58 million likes, which in turn surpassed Kylie Jenner's previous record of 19 million million likes for her picture of her newborn daughter in 2019. Messi's image carousel amassed 67 million likes within hours of its debut.

In contrast, Sam Umtiti, a top player who contributed to France's 2021 World Cup victory, received just roughly 640,000 likes on his trophy post. Only Instagram's own account and Cristiano Ronaldo have more followers than Messi, who is the third most followed user on the whole platform.

As Messi wrote in the caption, “We demonstrated once again that when Argentines fight together and unite we are capable of achieving what we set out to do. The merit belongs to this group.”

The World Cup was won by Argentina for the third time last year. Diego Maradonna, the football icon, led them in their debut game in 1978 and again in 1986. Messi, 35, made his final World Cup participation at the 2022 competition, scoring twice in the championship. In the midst of Argentina's ongoing political and economic difficulties, the thrilling overtime penalty shootout that gave Argentina the victory against France has cemented its position in history alongside Messi's post.

Ben Davis ruminated on the World Record Egg in 2019, noting that its ascent acted as “a kind of collective self-portrait” wherein anonymous people are both connected and defined through a social media popularity competition.

Football dominates Instagram's longer list of the 20 most-liked posts, demonstrating that it is a comparable unifying force on the platform. Ten submissions are dedicated to the World Cup. Posted before, during, and after the competition, Messi alone occupies eight spots. Sports enthusiasts have also started commenting with phrases like "Messi 70 Million" and emojis of the Argentinian flag on @world record egg’s one and only post.

Two days after their victory, Argentina's players left for home, and the day had been designated a national holiday. The Obelisk in the heart of Buenos Aires was surrounded by so many fans that the players' procession was unable to make it all the way down the boulevard. Coach Lionel Scaloni was present and commented, “I am proud of the work they did. I want to tell people to enjoy — it’s a historic moment for our country.”