Lionel Messi said he has serious doubts about how much longer he can keep playing soccer after the death of his father, Jorge, who guided him through every step of a legendary career.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner posted a deeply personal tribute on social media this week. Jorge Messi, 68, died last weekend in his hometown after a lengthy illness. He had also served for years as his son’s agent and closest adviser.
“Dad, I still can’t believe you’re gone,” Messi said. “It hasn’t sunk in, or rather, I don’t want it to. It’s very difficult for me to imagine that I won’t see you anymore, that we won’t talk anymore. I know you were suffering and that it’s for the best, but you left too soon. We still had so much to enjoy together.”
Messi, 39, explained that his father had urged him to compete in the recent World Cup even as his health declined. The Argentine star pushed himself hard in hopes of giving Jorge one more chance to watch him on the biggest stage.
“I wanted to win it so I could take it to you and show you a new one. I couldn’t; my legs had nothing left,” Lionel said.
Argentina reached the final of the 2026 tournament before falling short. Messi scored eight goals across the competition, bringing his international total to 125 goals in 207 appearances for the national team. Those numbers sit alongside more than 800 official career goals across club and country.
Without his father, Messi admitted he feels adrift. He has spent his entire adult life defined by the game, yet now questions whether that path still makes sense.
“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 together?”
Jorge Messi worked as a steelworker and chemical technician earlier in life. He once played midfield in the youth ranks at Newell’s Old Boys, the same Rosario club where young Lionel first showed extraordinary talent. When Barcelona came calling in the early 2000s, Jorge moved the family to Spain so his son could chase the dream of professional soccer.
Over the next two decades he managed contracts, offered quiet counsel after every match, and remained a constant presence through titles at Barcelona, a stint in Paris, and the current chapter with Inter Miami. Messi has scored 62 goals in 68 Major League Soccer regular-season games for the Florida club while adding more in cups and playoffs.
In the tribute, Messi reflected on the sacrifices his father made — the endless practices, the long trips, the unwavering belief. He promised to carry those lessons forward with his own children.
“I’m going to miss you very much, but you will always be present, especially in the education of my children, because I teach and raise them as you both did with me,” Lionel said.
“Rest in peace and look after us from above as you did here. Thank you for everything.”
“I love you, Dad.”
Messi returned to Argentina shortly after the news broke, missing Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup match that weekend. A private funeral took place near Rosario. Clubs across Argentina observed moments of silence, and Newell’s Old Boys issued a statement calling Jorge a pillar of support for the greatest player of his generation.
At an age when most players have long retired, Messi continues to produce at an elite level. He has collected 47 major team trophies, according to career tallies updated through the summer. Yet the man who once said he always sought his father’s approval after every match now faces the game without that familiar voice.
Whether those doubts lead to an earlier exit than expected remains unclear. For now, the soccer world watches one of its most decorated figures grieve the person who stood beside him from the very first kick.
