Lionel Messi walked off the World Cup stage for what is almost certainly the final time on Sunday, and even in defeat, the affection that followed him around MetLife Stadium said everything about what he has meant to the game. Argentina fell 1-0 to Spain in extra time, but long after the final whistle, it was Messi the crowd stayed to sing for.

At 39, Messi closed out his sixth World Cup with eight goals — a hat-trick against Algeria, a brace against Austria, and single strikes against Jordan, Cape Verde and Egypt — plus two assists in the semifinal win over England. Across six tournaments spanning nearly two decades, he leaves the World Cup with 21 goals and 12 assists, numbers that place him among the greatest to ever play the competition.

He held his composure through the medal ceremony, watching Spain lift the trophy with the same quiet dignity he has carried through his entire career. But as he made his way back toward his teammates, with Argentine fans still chanting his name from the stands, the emotion finally caught up with him. He wasn't alone for long — teammates gathered around him, and the ovation from the Argentine section only grew louder, a send-off that felt less like mourning a loss and more like a thank-you for everything he'd given.

Hours before kickoff, Messi had shared a heartfelt message on social media, thanking his teammates and describing the years together less as a competition and more as a family journey. Read now, after the final whistle, those words feel like a goodbye — even though Messi has never formally announced his retirement from the national team, and may yet have the final word himself.

What Messi leaves behind goes well beyond the scoreline in New Jersey. Over the past several years, he did something few players ever manage: he brought a country back to its television sets, back to hugging strangers over a goal, back to believing in the shirt again. That, more than any final result, may end up being the true measure of his World Cup career — and it's exactly why, on the night Spain lifted the trophy, so much of the world's warmth still found its way to him.