Buenos Aires: Lionel Messi has told of the pain of losing the Copa America final after the football superstar faced criticism in his native Argentina.

Messi finally posted a statement on his facebook account late Monday having hidden his devastation at losing another major final since the 4-1 penalty shootout defeat by Chile on Saturday. "There's nothing more painful in football than losing a final," Messi said. "But I don't want to leave it any longer to say thank you to everyone who has always supported us and continued to during the tough moments."