In case you hadn’t heard, Argentina won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, defeating France in a thrilling game of epic proportions. The game, which went to extra-time and then to penalties, was a match to remember, football fan or not, and has left practically the entirety of Argentina in a state of frenzy – millions have descended upon the streets of Buenos Aires to celebrate the victory that was 35 years in the making.

Naturally, Lionel Messi led his Argentinian team to glory, a player who has been lauded as arguably the greatest football player in history. Well, this victory now cements this title; Lionel Messi is the greatest football player of all time (aka, the GOAT).

But in the process of winning the World Cup and the Golden Ball award as the best performing player of the whole tournament, the 35-year-old has also set a new record which is no small feat in itself: his Instagram post in the aftermath of winning the World Cup is now officially the most liked Instagram post in history, with an astonishing 68.1 million likes and counting.

Talk about influence.

The Argentinania, who also boasts over 405 million Instagram followers, overtakes the previous record holder for the most liked Instagram post, Christ Godfrey’s image of an egg; a social project initiated back in 2019 with astonishing results.

In the aftermath of Argentina’s victorious triumph at the Qatar World Cup, celebrations have continued well into the week, with literally millions of fans, young and old, taking to the streets of Buenos Aires and beyond for what is a momentous occasion. Not since the late Diego Maradona – who is regarded as one of the most influential football players of all time – held the World Cup trophy in 1986 has there been such a history-defying moment for the national team.