Lionel Messi World Cup Celebration Becomes Most-Liked Instagram Post in History
Move over, egg.
Argentina forward Lionel Messi's post celebrating Argentina's World Cup win became the most-liked post in Instagram history overnight on Tuesday, breaking a nearly four-year-old record held by a photo of an egg.
As of Tuesday morning on the East Coast, Messi’s post had 61.1 million likes—4.5 million more than the egg, a novelty photo posted January 4, 2019 in an intentional bid to become the most liked post in Instagram history.
The total number of likes would amount to 0.8% of the world population, and a figure greater than the populations of nations such as South Africa, Italy, and South Korea.
The post included 10 photos from the celebration, and thanked Messi’s family and the people of Argentina.
Previously, Messi's post had broken the record for the most-liked sports-related post in history. That record was held by Cristiano Ronaldo, in a post featuring the Portugal forward playing chess with Messi in a promotional spot for Louis Vuitton.
Messi scored two goals in Argentina’s final win over France in a penalty shootout—a game that many now regard as the greatest soccer game ever played.