Messi expresses doubts about continuing soccer career after father's death

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi has shared a deeply personal and emotional tribute to his late father, Jorge, revealing profound doubts about continuing his soccer career. The post, shared on Instagram on Wednesday, conveyed the immense difficulty Messi faces in the wake of his father's passing.

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I don't know what I'm going to do without you. I don't know how to keep going. All I ever did was play soccer, and now I have serious doubts about whether I'll keep doing it for much longer.

"I don't know what I'm going to do without you," Messi wrote in Spanish. "I don't know how to keep going. All I ever did was play soccer, and now I have serious doubts about whether I'll keep doing it for much longer." His father, Jorge Messi, who played a pivotal role as his agent and business manager, died on Saturday at the age of 68.

The timing of these revelations is particularly poignant, coming after Messi captained Argentina to a runner-up finish in the recent World Cup. He described how his father's declining health, which prevented him from attending the tournament, weighed heavily on him. "You asked me to play in this last World Cup so many times, and just before it started was when you took a turn for the worse," Messi shared, recalling his promise to reach the final for his father.

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You asked me to play in this last World Cup so many times, and just before it started was when you took a turn for the worse. It was the first time you weren't going to be at the tournament. But Mom kept telling me that you were going to get better and that you'd be well enough to travel. I kept telling you that we were going to make it to the final so you could travel.

Messi also spoke of the physical and emotional toll of the tournament, admitting, "I wanted to win it for my father. I couldn't. My legs had nothing left. This time I tried to push beyond what my body could handle, but I couldn't. I never managed to feel right." The soccer superstar had returned to his native Argentina and missed Inter Miami's recent Leagues Cup match against Monterrey as tributes and messages of support have poured in for the Messi family.

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I wanted to win it for my father. I couldn't. My legs had nothing left. This time I tried to push beyond what my body could handle, but I couldn't. I never managed to feel right.