Lionel Messi
Published July 17, 2026
Lionel Messi is the Argentine soccer star behind the 'Sad Messi' reaction meme, which came from a 2014 photo of him at the World Cup Final trophy ceremony. The image, along with his huge social fandom, keeps him circulating across Reddit, Twitter, and sports blogs.
Overview
Lionel Messi, the Argentine soccer star who became a fixture in internet football meme culture, both through reaction images and through the giant fan communities that trade jokes about his matches4. His best known meme is 'Lionel Messi Is Sad,' a reaction format built from a photo of him receiving the FIFA Golden Ball after Argentina lost the 2014 World Cup Final to Germany1.
Off the pitch, Messi is a running fixture in football meme culture because of his enormous social following and his rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo3. The Messi vs Ronaldo debate is itself a template on Reddit and Twitter, with fans pulling stats, GIFs, and reaction images to argue their case2.
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