Lionel Messi says he has "serious doubts" about continuing to play football for "much longer" following the death of his father.
The 39-year-old superstar and national team captain described his father's death last weekend as one of the most difficult moments of his life in an emotional message on social media, writing: "Dad, I still can't believe you're gone. I can't take it in, or rather, I don't want to."
Messi continued: "I don't know what I'll do without you, I don't know how to go on. I just played football, and now I have serious doubts about continuing to do so for much longer.”
Jorge Messi, who was also Lionel's agent and closest confidant, died at around 2am on Saturday aged 68. Local media have revealed that he was previously diagnosed with cancer.
In the Instagram message, Messi, whose contract with Major League Soccer outfit Inter Miami runs until the end of the 2028 season, reflected on the final months of his father's life, which coincided with the 2026 World Cup.
Jorge's absence from the World Cup in June had already attracted attention and the star’s post offers fans greater understanding about the campaign, which ended in a final defeat to Spain.
Messi said his father had particularly urged him to play in his final World Cup and had continued encouraging him to do so just days before the tournament despite his deteriorating health.
"You kept asking me to play in one last World Cup, yet just days before it started, your condition took a turn for the worse. It was the first time you wouldn't be there for a tournament," revealed the grieving footballer, who returned to the United States on Tuesday night following his father's funeral near Rosario last Sunday night.
"I kept telling you we would reach the final so you could make the trip. Every time a match ended I waited for and missed your message. That's when I realised the situation was really bad. Even so, I couldn't stop thinking about going as far as possible, to give you time and for you to see a match," Messi wrote.
In Argentina's opening group match against Algeria, Messi burst into tears after scoring one of his three goals. He later revealed that the emotional reaction was linked to his father's worsening health.
"We made it to the final, but you couldn't be there. I wanted to win it to bring it to you and show you a new one. I couldn't, my legs just gave out," wrote the Albiceleste skipper in his post.
"This time I tried to push past my physical limits, but I couldn't. I never felt right," Messi said in his first public comments after the 1–0 loss to Spain in the final in New Jersey.
Messi also acknowledged that he played the final far from his physical and emotional best, but avoided telling his father everything he was going through so as not to worry him.
Immediately after the World Cup final defeat, Messi returned to spend a few days with his family in Rosario, his hometown some 300 kilometres north of Buenos Aires.
Messi recalled that he noticed his father had not been able to enjoy the World Cup.
"When I arrived, you thought we had lost the final on penalties. We couldn't talk about anything that had happened. You couldn't enjoy any of it," he said.
"We didn't become champions, but you have no idea how much we enjoyed every match. Once again, you were right: I had to be there and play."
'Father, friend and agent'
Competing in his sixth World Cup, Messi scored eight goals as he steered his country to the final.
Critical and demanding of his son, but also his most constant pillar, Jorge accompanied Lionel from the modest football pitches of Rosario to the pinnacle of world football.
After bursting into tears following his goal against Algeria in Argentina's opening group match, Messi later revealed that the emotional reaction was linked to his father's worsening health.
Last Sunday, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner bid farewell to his father during a private ceremony attended by close family and a few teammates in the town of Pérez, adjacent to Rosario.
The cause of death was not disclosed, but local media reported that Jorge Messi had been suffering from cancer.
Messi highlighted his father's pivotal role in his life and career: "You were a father, a friend, and an agent. You were always exactly who you needed to be in every moment, and you never put a foot wrong."
Jorge was his first coach and left everything behind to accompany him in 2000, when Barcelona invited the young prodigy, then aged 13, to Catalonia to continue treatment for a growth hormone deficiency while playing for the club's youth teams.
Jorge left behind his job in Argentina, his wife and his three other children to settle in Spain with Lionel.
His father was later the agent who negotiated contracts on his behalf, from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami.
"You were always like that, right from when I was little. You'd take me to every training session as soon as you got home from work," Messi recalled.
"You never missed a single match. You suffered while watching me play, yet you enjoyed it too – even though you never lavished me with praise.
Messi also said he would pass on to his three sons, Thiago, Mateo and Ciro, the values he had learned from his parents, ensuring that Jorge would remain present in their upbringing.
"Rest in peace, and watch over us from above just as you did down here. Thank you for everything. I love you, Dad."
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