The Argentina star's celebration of their recent Copa America success is the most successful post by an athlete on the platform

Lionel Messi's Instagram post celebrating Argentina's Copa America win has become the most liked photo from an athlete on the social media website.

The Barcelona star captained his national team to victory in the tournament with a 1-0 win against Brazil.

It is the first major trophy the attacker has won with Argentina, having previously lost in three Copa America finals and a World Cup final.

What has happened?

Messi's post of him holding the trophy after the win in the Maracana Stadium has racked up almost 20.2 million likes on Instagram.

That breaks the previous record for a sports-related post, which was held by Cristiano Ronaldo.

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A post shared by Leo Messi (@leomessi)

The Juventus star's tribute to Diego Maradona after the Argentina hero's death had received 19.8 million likes.

How did Messi perform at Copa America?

The 34-year-old was given the player of the tournament award for his performances in Brazil.

He was the joint-top scorer in the Copa America alongside Colombia star Luis Diaz with four goals, while he also registered five assists.

What next for Messi?

Messi is currently a free agent after his contract at Barcelona expired.