I doubt I’ll keep playing football without you, Messi mourns father

Lionel Messi has broken his silence following the death of his father, Jorge Messi, expressing deep sorrow and questioning his own future in football. The Argentina captain shared an emotional tribute on Instagram, accompanied by a photograph of them together, revealing the profound impact of his father's passing.

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Dad, I still can’t believe you’re gone. It hasn’t sunk in, or rather, I don’t want it to sink in. It’s so hard to imagine that I won’t see you anymore, that we won’t talk anymore. I know you were suffering and that it’s for the best, but you left too soon. We still had so much left to enjoy together.

"Dad, I still can’t believe you’re gone. It hasn’t sunk in, or rather, I don’t want it to sink in," Messi wrote. He described the immense difficulty of imagining a future without his father, with whom he shared so much. Messi acknowledged that his father had been suffering, and while he understood it was for the best, he felt his father left too soon, with many experiences left to share.

Messi recalled his father's fervent wish for him to play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He revealed that Jorge's condition deteriorated significantly just days before the tournament began, marking the first time he would miss a major event. His mother had reassured him that his father would recover and be able to travel, and Messi had promised to reach the final so his father could attend.

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You wanted me to play in the last World Cup so much, and a few days before it started was when you took a turn for the worse. It was the first time you weren’t going to be at a tournament, but Mom kept telling me you’d get better and that you’d be fine enough to travel. I kept telling you we were going to make it to the final so you could make the trip.

The footballer also shared how his father's deteriorating health became apparent when he expected messages after Argentina's matches. "Every time a match ended, I waited for and missed your message. That was when I realized how truly bad the situation was," he wrote. Despite this, Messi pushed himself to go as far as possible in the tournament, hoping to give his father more time to watch him play.

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Every time a match ended, I waited for and missed your message. That was when I realized how truly bad the situation was. Even so, I couldn’t stop thinking about going as far as possible, just to give you time so you could watch a match.

Reflecting on Argentina's run to the final, Messi expressed regret that his father couldn't be there. He had desperately wanted to win the trophy to present it to him. "I couldn’t do it, my legs just couldn’t give any more. This time I tried to push past my body, but I couldn’t," he admitted. Messi also mentioned that his father initially believed Argentina had lost the final on penalties, and they couldn't discuss the events, preventing him from enjoying the experience. The loss has left Messi uncertain about his path forward, stating, "I don’t know what I’m going to do without you, I don’t know how to move forward. Football was all I did, and now I have serious doubts about whether I’ll keep playing for much longer."

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We made it to the final and you couldn’t be there. I wanted to win it so I could bring it to you and show you a new trophy. I couldn’t do it, my legs just couldn’t give any more. This time I tried to push past my body, but I couldn’t. I was never able to feel right physically.