Lionel Messi, the legend of the Argentine national team and captain of Inter Miami, broke his silence and spoke for the first time following the death of his father, Jorge Messi, who passed away from our world in the past few days.
Jorge Messi passed away at the age of 68, after battling an illness, as his health condition deteriorated severely during the World Cup.
Messi admitted in a eulogy to his father that he cannot believe Jorge has gone, explaining that he was his role model.
Messi said in the speech he posted on his official Instagram account: "Dad, I still can't believe until this moment that you've gone, I can't surrender to grief, or more precisely, I don't want to, it's hard for me to imagine that I won't see you again, and that we won't talk anymore, I know you were suffering and that what happened is best for you, but you left far too soon, there was still so much for us to enjoy together".
He added: "You repeatedly asked me to play in the World Cup this year, and in the days before the tournament began, your health deteriorated severely, this was the first time you weren't with me in a tournament I was participating in, but my mother told me you would improve and that you would be well enough to travel and be by my side, I told you we would reach the final so you could travel and attend".
He explained: "In a ball that ended a match I was playing, I used to wait for your message, but this time it didn't reach me, and then I realized how bad the situation was, nevertheless, I didn't stop thinking about going as far as possible in the tournament, to give you enough time so you could watch a match of mine, we reached the final and you couldn't attend".
He continued: "I wanted to win the World Cup, to bring it to you and show you a new victory, I couldn't, as my legs could no longer carry me, this time I tried to overcome my body, but I couldn't, as I never felt comfortable".
He went on: "When I arrived to see you, I thought we had lost the final on penalties, we couldn't talk about anything that happened in the tournament, you didn't enjoy anything, we weren't champions, but you can't imagine how much we truly enjoyed playing every match, once again you were right, I should have been there and played with the national team".
He continued: "I'm telling you this because the World Cup was the only thing we couldn't talk about, as you know everything else, since we talked every day and met whenever the opportunity arose, given my commitments".
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He continued: "I don't know how I'll live without you, I don't know how to continue, I was content with just playing football, and now I have many doubts about whether I will continue playing for longer, you were by my side from the beginning, not much is left, why didn't you hold on a little longer so we could finish our journey together?".
He added: "I know your happiness was in seeing your family well, your wife and children, and above all, without anyone knowing, watching me play".
He went on: "It has always been like that since I was young, I used to go with you to all the training sessions as soon as you returned from work, many times my mother would take me because you were working then, of course you didn't miss any match I played, how many times you suffered watching me play, and how much you enjoyed that, even though you didn't praise me much, you were my father, my friend too, and my role model".
He continued: "You were always the person we needed in every moment, and you never wronged us, except for some blame or arguments, you were always right, and in the end, things always went as you expected".
Messi concluded: "I will miss you so much, Dad, but you will always remain present, especially when it comes to raising my children, because I teach and raise them just as you did with me, rest in peace, and protect us from heaven as you used to do here, thank you for everything, I love you, Dad".
Jorge had begun entering a health crisis during the World Cup, as Messi appeared affected during Argentina's match against Algeria, which was played in the first round of the group stage of the competition, where the player at that time burst into tears.
Lionel Messi’s letter for 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, that we’re not going to talk anymore. I know you were suffering and that… pic.twitter.com/ku0n9ofOaO — Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 12, 2026@FabrizioRomano
