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Lionel Messi Smashes Cristiano Ronaldo Record For Most-Liked Sports Photo On Instagram

Lionel Messi Smashes Cristiano Ronaldo Record For Most-Liked Sports Photo On Instagram

Cristiano Ronaldo's Diego Maradona tribute almost amassed 20m likes on Instagram, but Lionel Messi has now managed to hit that feat.

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz

Barcelona legend Lionel Messi has now taken a record from fierce rival Cristiano Ronaldo after his Instagram post surpassed a staggering 20m likes.

The 34-year-old Argentine forward, who is set to sign a new Barcelona contract, ended his long drought for silverware in international football this summer.

Argentina defeated Brazil 1-0 in the Copa America final at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro.

And Messi was full of emotion at the full-time whistle, with the Argentina captain finally lifting his first piece of major silverware with his country.

The six-time Ballon d'Or winner's Copa America triumph has now led to Messi becoming the holder of the most-liked sports photo on Instagram.

Messi posted a photo of himself alongside the Copa America title as he called it a moment of "beautiful madness."

The Argentina international wrote to his 233m followers: "What a beautiful madness! This is unbelievable!

"Thank you, God! We are the champions!"

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Messi's post has amassed a whopping 20,718,487 likes at the time of this writing.

Ronaldo, who topped Instagram's rich list of celebrities, previously held the record of 19.8m likes for his tribute post to Argentine legend Diego Maradona.

Posting a black-and-white photo of himself and Maradona, the Juventus superstar wrote: "Today I'm saying goodbye to a friend and the world is saying goodbye to an eternal genius.

"One of the best of all-time. An unparalleled magician. He leaves too soon, but he leaves a legacy without limits and an emptiness that will never be filled.

"Rest in peace, ace. You will never be forgotten."

Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman believes that Messi is now the "prime candidate" for a seventh Ballon d'Or win.

"Messi is the prime candidate for the Ballon d'Or after a great season and, for me, he is the favourite," he told Barcelona's official website.

"He is vitally important. For what he brings to the team, he's the captain and an example."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Football, Barcelona, Serie A, Lionel Messi, Juventus, Spain, Cristiano Ronaldo, La Liga, Italy