Football fans usually don’t miss an opportunity.

A missed penalty.

A bad haircut.

A goalkeeping mistake.

Within minutes, the memes are everywhere.

This time was different.

As the final whistle confirmed Spain’s World Cup victory, cameras caught Lionel Messi in tears.

The images quickly spread across social media.

So did the reactions.

For once, there weren’t many jokes.

Instead, supporters from clubs that normally spend all year arguing with each other were posting the same thing.

Respect.

Whether fans wanted Argentina to win or not, many recognised they were watching one of football’s greatest careers suffer one of its most painful defeats.

Messi had carried Argentina to another World Cup final.

This time, there was no fairytale ending.

Just tears.

The images of Messi sitting on the pitch quickly became some of the most shared photographs from the tournament.

Football can usually find something to laugh at.

For a few minutes after the final…

It didn’t seem to want to.