Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi shared an emotional tribute to his father, Jorge Messi, on Instagram Wednesday, describing how difficult it was to lead Argentina through this summer’s World Cup as his father’s health steadily declined.
Jorge Messi died Saturday at a hospital in Rosario, Argentina, following treatment for an unspecified illness. He was 68.
“Dad, I still can’t believe you have gone,” Messi wrote at the opening of his post, adding that it was hard to accept he would never speak with his father again.
A Father Who Was Also His Agent and Closest Confidant
Messi described his father as far more than a parent in the tribute, calling him his friend and his agent and saying he had never known his father to be wrong about anything, adding that everything had, in the end, turned out the way Jorge had said it would.
Jorge Messi’s influence on his son’s career is widely regarded as foundational within soccer. He relocated the family to Barcelona when Lionel Messi was 13 to support his son’s development and remained closely involved throughout a career that included eight Ballon d’Or awards, numerous trophies with Barcelona and a World Cup title with Argentina in 2022, serving not only as a parent but as his son’s agent and manager of his business affairs.
𝐋𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢’𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. 💔🥺
Dad, I still can’t believe that you’ve gone. I don’t fall, or rather, I don’t want to fall. It’s very hard for me to imagine that I’m not going to see you anymore, we’re not going to talk anymore. I know you were suffering and that it’s for the best, but you left too soon. We still had a lot left to enjoy together.
You asked me so much to play in the last World Cup, and it was in the days just before it started that you got the worst. It was the first time you weren’t going to be at a tournament, but Mom told me that you were going to get better and that you’d be well enough to travel.
I told you we were going to reach the final so you could travel.
Every time a match ended I waited for, missed your message.
That’s when I realized the situation was really bad. Even so, I didn’t stop thinking about going as far as possible, to buy you time and so you could see a match.
We reached the final and 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 wouldn’t give any more. This time I tried to go against my body, but I couldn’t. I never managed to feel good.
When I arrived you thought we had lost the final on penalties. We couldn’t talk about any of everything that happened. You couldn’t enjoy anything. We weren’t champions, but you have no idea how much we enjoyed every single match. Once again, you were right: I had to be there and play it.
I don’t know what I’m going to do without you, I don’t know how to go on. I only played football and now I have quite a few doubts about whether I’ll keep doing it for much longer. You were by my side from the beginning; there was so little left until the end. Why couldn’t you hold on that little bit more so we could finish together?
I’m going to miss you a lot, but you’ll always be present.
Rest in peace and look after us from above the way you did down here. Thank you for everything.
I love you, Dad. ❤️
Playing Through a Father’s Declining Health
Messi wrote at length in the tribute about the days leading up to this summer’s World Cup, recalling that his father had repeatedly asked him to play in the tournament even as his health worsened just before it began, marking the first tournament his father would not attend in person. According to the post, Messi’s mother had reassured him that Jorge would recover enough to travel, and Messi told his father the team would reach the final so he could still make it there.
This account adds context to a moment that drew public attention during the tournament itself. In Argentina’s opening match against Algeria, Messi appeared visibly emotional after scoring the first of three goals in that game, later saying he had been crying for reasons unrelated to the match. His tribute post now makes clear that his father’s declining health was very likely connected to that emotional moment.
Waiting for Messages That Stopped Coming
Messi described waiting for messages from his father after each match and growing increasingly worried when they stopped arriving, which he said was when he understood how serious his father’s condition had become. Even so, he wrote that he kept pushing to advance as far as possible in the tournament, hoping to buy his father time and give him the chance to see a match in person if Argentina reached the final.
A Final His Father Couldn’t Fully Experience
Argentina reached the final, where the team lost to Spain, but Jorge Messi was unable to attend. Messi wrote that he had wanted to win the tournament to bring the trophy home to his father, but said his body had nothing left to give despite trying to push past his physical limits during the match. He said that by the time he returned home, his father believed Argentina had lost the final on penalties, and the two were never able to fully discuss what had actually happened during the tournament. Messi wrote that although the team did not become champions, his father had once again been right that he needed to be there and play.
Uncertainty About What Comes Next
Messi closed the letter by expressing genuine uncertainty about his future in the sport, writing that soccer was the only thing he had ever done and that he now had real doubts about how much longer he would continue playing. He said his father had been by his side since the beginning of his career, with comparatively little time left before its end, and wrote that he wished his father could have held on long enough for them to finish that journey together. He ended the tribute by thanking his father and telling him he loved him.
Messi’s public uncertainty about his soccer future, expressed directly in the tribute, is likely to draw significant attention given his stature as one of the sport’s most accomplished players and his central role with Inter Miami and the Argentine national team.
The full text of Messi’s tribute is available on his official Instagram account.
What Others Are Saying
Tributes and messages of support poured in from across the sport following Jorge Messi’s death. Inter Miami defender Facundo Mura said the entire team had been affected by the loss of their teammate’s father. Cristiano Ronaldo commented on Messi’s post offering condolences and strength to Messi and his family during the difficult period.
Inter Miami coach Guillermo Hoyos said there is currently no timetable for Messi’s return to the team following his father’s death.
What Happens Next
Messi had returned to Argentina following his father’s death and missed Inter Miami’s recent Leagues Cup match against Monterrey. The club was scheduled to conclude the group phase of that tournament Wednesday night against Leon, though Hoyos said there remains no set date for Messi’s return to play.
Given the uncertainty Messi expressed in his tribute about his long term future in the sport, his return timeline and any statements he makes about his career going forward are likely to draw continued attention from fans and the broader soccer world in the coming weeks.
Reporting drawn from the Associated Press, ESPN and ABC Sports, citing Lionel Messi’s Instagram post and statements from Inter Miami coach Guillermo Hoyos and defender Facundo Mura.
