Lionel Messi says he is unsure whether he will continue playing football following the death of his father, Jorge, last week.
Jorge Messi died aged 68 at a medical clinic in Rosario, Argentina, after a long illness. His son, the Argentina captain and Inter Miami forward, shared an emotional tribute on Instagram on Wednesday, describing the uncertainty he now feels about his future in the game.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do without you. I don’t know how to move forward. I only played football and now I have quite a few doubts about whether I’m going to keep doing it for much longer,” Messi wrote.
“You were by my side from the beginning; there was so little left until the end. Why couldn’t you hold on just a little longer so we could finish it together?”
Jorge was a constant presence throughout Messi’s career, including during his formative years at Barcelona. He provided significant personal support and was also his son’s representative for several years.
Messi, 39, said one of the reasons he took part in the World Cup was that it had been his father’s wish. Argentina finished runners-up to Spain after losing the final in extra time.
“You always asked me to play in the last World Cup and a few days before it started was when you got worse,” Messi said.
“It was the first time you weren’t going to be at a tournament… Every time a match ended, I would wait and hope for your message. That’s when I realised how real the situation was.”
The tournament brought a mixture of sporting success and personal pain for Messi. He scored a hat-trick in Argentina’s opening match against Algeria, but broke down in tears while celebrating his first goal.
Messi later said the emotion was caused by “something unrelated to football”, adding that he had experienced “a few difficult, complicated days.”
He wanted to win the final in memory of his father, but said his body eventually prevented him from producing the performance needed to secure a second World Cup title.
“My legs couldn’t go on anymore. This time I tried to push myself beyond my physical limits, but I couldn’t. I never felt well… We weren’t champions, but you don’t know how much we enjoyed every match. Once again, you were right: I had to be there and play it,” Messi added.
The Argentina captain also said he would keep his father’s influence alive by raising his own children in the same way he had been brought up.
“I’m going to miss you so much, but you will always be present, especially in the upbringing of my children, because I will teach them and raise them the way you raised me,” he said.
