Argentina superstar Lionel Messi, one of the greatest footballers to play the game, has hinted that he may soon retire from the sport after the death of his father.
The 39-year-old, who was part of the Argentina side that was defeated by Spain in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final, rose to the top of the game from the youth ranks at Spanish club Barcelona.
After his country’s loss to Spain in July in New Jersey at the World Cup, Messi returned to play domestic football in the United States with Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami. However, he was forced to cut short his return after the death of his father, Jorge Messi, at the age of 68 this past weekend.
“All I ever did was play football, and now I have serious doubts about whether I’ll keep doing it for much longer,” Messi posted on Instagram. “I don’t know what I’m going to do without you. I don’t know how to carry on.”
Messi, whose father was also his agent, is still under contract with Miami until the end of the 2028 season, but following Argentina’s failure to defend the title they won at Qatar 2022, it was rumored the forward may soon hang up his boots.
In his message, the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star also reflected on the final months of his father’s life, which coincided with the World Cup. “I kept telling you we would reach the final so you could make the trip,” said Messi. “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.”
Messi also 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 Messi’s unusual absence from the World Cup in June had already attracted attention. Messi’s family asked the media for “humanity” during the tournament amid persistent rumors over Jorge’s health.
On Sunday, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner bid farewell to his father during a private ceremony with close family and a few Argentina teammates in the town of Perez, adjacent to Rosario. The cause of death was not disclosed, but local media reported that Jorge Messi had been suffering from cancer.
Despite his grief, Messi pledged to honor his father’s memory through parenting his own children. “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.
Source: www.aljazeera.com