Loinel Messi: There's nothing more painful than losing a final

The Argentina captain has sent a message of thanks to supporters following their Copa America defeat to Chile, which follows swiftly on from last summer's World Cup disappointment

Lionel Messi has lamented Argentina's Copa Americal final heartbreak in a message of gratitude to supporters of the Albiceleste.

Messi, who skippered his national side to extra-time defeat in the World Cup final against Germany last summer, suffered another crushing loss for the national side as Chile emerged victorious in the Copa America showpiece after a penalty shoot-out.

The Barcelona ace has since expressed his thanks to fans after another Argentina's 22-year wait for silverware was extended by the host nation in Santiago.

"There's nothing more painful in football than losing a final," he wrote on his official Facebook page.

"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." Unconfirmed reports in Spain suggested Messi turned down the award for the Copa America's best player following Argentina's defeat.