MIAMI — Lionel Messi paid an emotional tribute Wednesday to his late father, Jorge Messi, in a deeply personal social media post, describing the pain of guiding Argentina to the World Cup final while privately struggling with his family’s loss and raising doubts about how much longer he will continue playing soccer.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do without you,” Messi wrote in Spanish in the Instagram post. “I don’t know how to keep going. All I ever did was play soccer, and now I have serious doubts about whether I’ll keep doing it for much longer.”
Jorge Messi, a central figure throughout the Argentine star’s extraordinary career, died Saturday at 68. Beyond being Messi’s father, he served for years as his agent and oversaw many of his business interests.
Lionel Messi led Argentina to a second-place finish at this summer’s World Cup. His emotions were evident from the opening match against Algeria, when he appeared overcome after scoring the first of his three goals. He later explained that his tears came for “a reason unrelated to sports.”
“You asked me to play in this last World Cup so many times, and just before it started was when you took a turn for the worse,” Messi wrote. “It was the first time you weren’t going to be at the tournament. But mom kept telling me that you were going to get better and that you’d be well enough to travel. I kept telling you that we were going to make it to the final so you could travel.”
In the post, Messi said he had desperately wanted to win the World Cup for his father.
“I couldn’t,” he continued. “My legs had nothing left. This time I tried to push beyond what my body could handle, but I couldn’t. I never managed to feel right.”
Messages of sympathy and support have continued to reach the Messi family in recent days. Messi had traveled back to Argentina and was absent from Inter Miami’s recent Leagues Cup match against Monterrey, leaving the MLS club without its biggest star.
Inter Miami concludes the group phase of the tournament Wednesday night against León, though coach Guillermo Hoyos said Tuesday there is no timetable for Messi’s return.
