Instagram Blocked Messi’s Account After World Cup Victory With Argentina

Instagram Blocked Messi’s Account After World Cup Victory With Argentina

Elijah Odetokun
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:24 PM
In this article:
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  • Lionel Messi helped Argentina lift the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup after beating France on penalties
  • He broke an Instagram record for the most liked picture on the picture sharing platform with his post
  • The veteran has now revealed a decision taken by the social media company to protect his account

Lionel Messi immortalised himself as arguably the greatest player of all time after leading Argentina to World Cup triumph in Qatar on December 18, 2022, beating former champions France in the final.

His triumph had a major impact on social media across the world, with celebratory posts and pictures of the winning team still flying around to all corners of the internet to this day.

Lionel Messi, Argentina, 2022 FIFA World Cup, Qatar, France, trophy.
Lionel Messi kissing the World Cup trophy with his golden ball award in one hand. Photos by Alex Livesey/Ercin Erturk.
Source: Getty Images

Messi himself broke an existing Instagram record by having the most like picture on the platform, surpassing the previous record of 56-million, as reported by Sports Illustrated, but there was more to what happened.

Instagram blocked Messi's account

As of the time of filing this report, the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner had 425 million followers on the platform, making him the second-most followed footballer after Cristiano Ronaldo with more than 500-million.

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Messi's popularity has grown since the World Cup and as revealed by the superstar himself, in an interview with Urbana Play as quoted by ESPN FC, he got over a million messages which made the company restrict his account for some hours.

''My Instagram was blocked for a few days because of the amount of messages I received after winning the World Cup. I had a million messages,'' he said.

He also clarified that his account is not managed by anyone or any company, with the star operating it himself.

''I'm the one who manages my Instagram account, not any company or other person,'' he added.

Fans reaction to Messi's Instagram block

Fans were amused by the revelation of the 35-year-old, which sparked a large number of comments once again.

@lognostwin wrote:

"He posted the next day. Greatest comeback in history."

@Rossievibez wrote:

"My messages is part of that 1million, I sent about 10k"

@_Tushar9 wrote:

"It must be first time someone is so happy even after getting blocked by someone!"

@jesiaHopkyns wrote:

"Another record set.... Greatest Of All Seasons #LeoMessi"

@MugarKudazi wrote:

"Yeah..my 'Im proud of you Leo' message was never making it out of the trenches"

Messi's top World Cup posts

Sports Brief earlier reported on the top 5 of the posts Messi made on Instagram, since winning the World Cup in Qatar on December 18 last year.

Top of the list was his first post as a World Cup winner, which broke a record for the social media platform and currently stands at 75-million likes.

Messi has been on a roll since achieving football's ultimate prize and looks more relaxed than ever, constantly sharing photos of his family.

Authors
Elijah Odetokun photo
Elijah Odetokun
Elijah Odetokun is Reuters-trained journalist with three years of experience having previously worked at Daily Times Nigeria, OmaSports and El Futbolero.
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