FC Barcelona and Argentine Striker Lionel Messi broke the record for the Most Liked Sports Picture on Instagram when he garnered a record likes of over 20 million on a single picture.
He has overtaken his rival Cristiano Ronaldo with the picture he posted of himself to celebrate the Copa America title he won against Brazil on the 11th of July, 2021 after Angel Di Maria scored the only goal of the match in 22nd minute.
The Copa America title was the first ever international title won by Lionel Messi so far in his career. I presume that was the reason for the unbelievable engagement on the post and the way with which he held the title with so much passion.
Cristiano Ronaldo's tribute to Diego Maradona on November, 25 2020 was the Most Liked Sports Picture with 19.8 million likes before being displaced by Messi.
Messi posted the picture with caption:
"What a beautiful madness! This is unbelievable! Thank you, God! We are the champions!"
The competition between these two have always being fierce. Now, it goes beyond their stats on the field of play, it has transcend to the social media. It's simply amazing and they will be missed by sports lovers across the world when they both decide to hang their boots.