# Crying Messi

Crying Messi is a reaction image meme built from a photograph of Argentinian footballer Lionel Messi holding back tears after missing his opening penalty kick against Chile in the 2016 Copa América Centenario Final. The image spread across Twitter and Vine within hours of the June 26, 2016 match, often photoshopped alongside the older Crying Michael Jordan meme.

## Overview
Crying Messi is a photoshop reaction meme built around a still image of Lionel Messi visibly holding back tears after Argentina lost to Chile in the 2016 Copa América Centenario Final on June 26, 2016[1]. The photo shows Messi looking down with a pained, welling-up expression that meme makers seized on within hours of the final whistle[2].

Edits typically drop the cropped crying face onto cartoon characters, celebrities, or unrelated scenes of defeat, and many early versions crossed the image over with Crying Michael Jordan, the older NBA-based reaction template it drew immediate comparisons to[3]. Because Messi is widely treated as one of the top footballers of his generation, the sight of him in tears carried enough emotional weight to power the meme's spread far beyond soccer fandom[1].

## How It Spread
Within an hour of Markazi's tweet, photoshopped variants filled Twitter feeds across the Americas, and a large share of them mashed the crying face together with Crying Michael Jordan[4]. On Vine, an account called Arsenal Fan USA uploaded an abridged clip of Messi tearing up that pulled more than 3.8 million loops in roughly 20 hours[3]. Another Viner, The Cauldron, posted a doctored version of the penalty kick that replaced the football itself with a cutout of Crying Michael Jordan, hitting 1.8 million loops in the same window[4].

By the morning of June 27, 2016, mainstream outlets picked the meme up. Russia Today ran a piece titled "Crying Game: Messi Meme erupts online after soccer star's Copa America heartbreak"[2]. CBS Sports called the image the lasting picture of the tournament and floated it as a possible successor to Crying Jordan[1]. Mashable, Digital Spy and Hollywood Life all published quick roundups of the top edits the same day[5][6][7].

The fallout kept the image in rotation for weeks: shortly after the loss, Messi publicly said he was done with the Argentina national team, a retirement he later walked back. Editors kept reaching for the crying frame every time the story got another update[4].

## How to Use
The template typically pairs the tight crop of Messi's crying face with any moment of comic loss, sports heartbreak or personal embarrassment. Common conventions include photoshopping the face over rival players, cartoon characters or celebrities, or dropping it into scenes of defeat as a stand-in for the poster's own reaction. Many edits play on the visual link to Crying Michael Jordan by stacking or swapping the two faces.

## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Crying Messi?
A reaction image of Lionel Messi holding back tears after Argentina lost the 2016 Copa América Centenario Final to Chile[1].

### Where did Crying Messi come from?
A photograph taken on June 26, 2016 during the penalty shootout at MetLife Stadium, right after Messi missed Argentina's opening spot kick[2].

### What does Crying Messi mean?
It is used to signal comic defeat, heartbreak or crushing disappointment, and is often paired with Crying Michael Jordan to double up the joke[4].

### How do you use Crying Messi?
People photoshop the cropped face over other players, celebrities or cartoon characters, or post it plain as a reaction to any loss or embarrassing moment[3].

### Is Crying Messi still popular?
It was a mainstream sports meme in summer 2016 and is still treated as a classic football reaction image alongside Crying Jordan[4].

## References
1. [https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/crying-messi-the-lasting-image-of-copa-america-possibly-the-next-crying-jordan/](<https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/crying-messi-the-lasting-image-of-copa-america-possibly-the-next-crying-jordan/>)
2. [https://www.rt.com/sport/348422-crying-messi-copa-america-meme/](<https://www.rt.com/sport/348422-crying-messi-copa-america-meme/>)
3. [https://twitter.com/ArashMarkazi/status/747181840412282880](<https://twitter.com/ArashMarkazi/status/747181840412282880>)
4. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/crying-messi](<https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/crying-messi>)
5. [https://mashable.com/article/crying-messi-copa-america](<https://mashable.com/article/crying-messi-copa-america>)
6. [https://www.digitalspy.com/fun/a798853/crying-messi-takes-the-internet-by-storm-after-copa-america-penalty-miss/](<https://www.digitalspy.com/fun/a798853/crying-messi-takes-the-internet-by-storm-after-copa-america-penalty-miss/>)
7. [https://hollywoodlife.com/2016/06/27/lionel-messi-crying-meme-argentina-copa-america-loss/](<https://hollywoodlife.com/2016/06/27/lionel-messi-crying-meme-argentina-copa-america-loss/>)

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Source: https://meme.com/memes/crying-messi
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