# Lionel Messi

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 matches[4]. 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 Germany[1].

Off the pitch, Messi is a running fixture in football meme culture because of his enormous social following and his rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo[3]. The Messi vs Ronaldo debate is itself a template on Reddit and Twitter, with fans pulling stats, GIFs, and reaction images to argue their case[2].

## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Lionel Messi?
Lionel Messi is an Argentine soccer star and a longtime figure in football meme culture, best known for the 'Sad Messi' 2014 World Cup reaction image[1].

### Where did Lionel Messi come from?
The 'Sad Messi' meme comes from a photo of him receiving the FIFA Golden Ball after Argentina lost the 2014 World Cup Final to Germany[1].

### What does Lionel Messi mean?
As a meme, 'Sad Messi' is shorthand for disappointment or a heavy loss, and Messi himself works as shorthand for the Messi vs Ronaldo debate template[3][2].

### How do you use Lionel Messi?
The template typically pairs the Golden Ball photo with a caption about disappointment, or gets deployed in reply threads to score a Messi vs Ronaldo point[1].

### Is Lionel Messi still popular?
Yes, subreddits like r/messi and r/Barca have long been gathering points for football meme content, and his Instagram @leomessi hosts a massive fan base[2][5].

## References
1. [https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/07/the-existential-despair-of-lionel-messi-why-argentinas-star-is-so-sad-about-losing-the-world-cup-final/374369/](<https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/07/the-existential-despair-of-lionel-messi-why-argentinas-star-is-so-sad-about-losing-the-world-cup-final/374369/>)
2. [https://www.reddit.com/r/messi/](<https://www.reddit.com/r/messi/>)
3. [https://twitter.com/TeamMessi](<https://twitter.com/TeamMessi>)
4. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/people/lionel-messi](<https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/people/lionel-messi>)
5. [https://www.instagram.com/leomessi/](<https://www.instagram.com/leomessi/>)
6. [https://www.footballburp.com/](<https://www.footballburp.com/>)
7. [https://www.laestrella.com.pa/](<https://www.laestrella.com.pa/>)
8. [https://www.reddit.com/r/Barca/](<https://www.reddit.com/r/Barca/>)

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Source: https://meme.com/memes/lionel-messi
Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library