Argentina captain Lionel Messi has admitted he is uncertain whether he will carry on playing football following the death of his father and long-time manager, Jorge Messi.
The Inter Miami forward posted an emotional tribute to his late father on Instagram on Wednesday alongside a photograph of the pair. In his message, the 38-year-old acknowledged the profound void left by his father’s passing and revealed that it has thrown his future in the sport into serious doubt.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do without you, I don’t know how to move forward. Football was all I did, and now I have serious doubts about whether I’ll keep playing for much longer,” Messi wrote.
Reflecting on Argentina’s campaign at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Messi disclosed that his father’s health deteriorated significantly just days before the tournament kicked off. Despite hopes from his family that Jorge would recover enough to travel, he was ultimately unable to attend.
Messi explained that expecting a message from his father after every match brought the reality of the situation home. The forward strove to push Argentina as far into the competition as possible to give his father time to recover and watch him play.
When Argentina reached the final, Messi hoped to secure the trophy for his father but admitted his physical condition hindered him. “This time I tried to push past my body, but I couldn’t. I was never able to feel right physically,” he wrote. Upon returning home, Messi discovered his father believed Argentina had lost the final on penalties, meaning they were unable to celebrate or share any part of the tournament run together.
The former Barcelona star paid tribute to his father’s multifaceted role throughout his life and career, describing him as a parent, friend, and agent.
“You were a dad, a friend, and an agent. You were always the person you needed to be at every moment, and you were never wrong about anything,” Messi noted, adding that he intends to honour his father’s memory by raising his own children using the same values.
He concluded the tribute with a final farewell: “Rest in peace and watch over us from above, just as you did here. Thank you for everything. I love you, Dad.”