“I don’t know how to go on”: Messi mourns his father’s passing in heartfelt tribute

Rosario: Lionel Messi has paid an emotional tribute to his late father, Jorge Messi, reflecting on their close bond and the pivotal role he played throughout the Argentine football star’s life and career.

In a heartfelt message, Messi recalled his father’s unwavering support, their shared World Cup dreams and the pain of losing him, admitting that he is struggling to imagine life without him. Jorge Messi, 68, died at a clinic in Rosario on Saturday after a prolonged illness, leaving the Argentine football icon facing a deeply personal loss.

In a post on Instagram, Messi uploaded a picture with his late father and wrote a heartfelt message for him.

Messi expressed deep grief over his father’s death, saying he still struggled to accept the loss and felt Jorge had left too soon. He recalled how his father urged him to play in the 2026 World Cup despite his worsening health, while Messi remained hopeful that Jorge would recover enough to attend the tournament’s final.

“Dad, I still can’t believe you’re gone. It hasn’t sunk in—or rather, I don’t want it to sink in. It’s so hard to imagine that I won’t see you again, that we won’t talk anymore. I know you were suffering and that this is for the best, but you left too soon. We still had so much left to enjoy together. You kept asking me to play in that last World Cup, but just days before it started, your condition took a turn for the worse. It was the first time you wouldn’t be at a tournament, but Mom kept telling me you’d improve and be well enough to travel. I kept telling you we’d make it to the final so you could come,” Messi wrote in the post.

Messi said his father’s absence became painfully clear after each World Cup match, when he waited in vain for his messages. He kept hoping Argentina would reach the final so his father could attend, and wanted to win the trophy for him, but admitted he was unable to overcome his physical limitations.

“After every match, I’d wait for your message and miss hearing from you. That’s when I realised how serious the situation really was. Even so, I kept thinking about going as far as possible—to buy time so you could see a game. We made it to the final, but you couldn’t be there. I wanted to win it so I could bring it to you and show you a new trophy. I couldn’t do it; my legs just gave out. This time I tried to push past my physical limits, but I couldn’t. I never felt right,” he said.

Messi said his father never got to learn the full story of the World Cup, including what happened after the final. He regretted that they could not discuss the tournament, but recalled how they spoke every day and stayed closely connected whenever his commitments allowed.

“When I got back, you thought we’d lost the final on penalties. We never got to talk about what happened. You didn’t get to enjoy any of it. We didn’t become champions, but you have no idea how much we enjoyed every match. Once again, you were right: I had to be there and play. I’m telling you this because it was the one thing we didn’t get to talk about—you already know everything else. We spoke every day and saw each other whenever my commitments allowed,” he said.  (ANI)

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