Lionel Messi has raised profound questions about his football future following the death of his father and longtime representative, Jorge Messi, who passed away in Rosario at age 68. In an emotional open letter published on Instagram, the Inter Miami captain admitted he does not know how to continue playing, revealing that his recent performances for Argentina at the 2026 World Cup were carried out under immense personal strain.
An Open Letter and Doubts Over the Future
Jorge Messi died on a Saturday morning in Rosario after spending two weeks hospitalized in a local clinic. Days later, Lionel Messi shared a lengthy tribute detailing the painful reality of playing through the tournament while his father’s health deteriorated. “I don’t know what I’m going to do without you, I don’t know how to keep going,” Messi wrote. “I only played football and now I have quite a few doubts that I’m going to keep doing it for much time to come.” At 39 years old, the forward acknowledged that the physical demands and the devastating emotional toll have left his career at a crossroads.
The 2026 World Cup Journey Under Personal Strain
According to reports from El Pais and Primera Hora, Messi’s participation in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada was deeply intertwined with his father’s final days. The Argentine star revealed that Jorge’s health worsened significantly just before the tournament began. During Argentina’s opening match against Algeria—where Messi scored a hat-trick—cameras captured him directing a tearful “I love you” toward the stands, an emotional moment he later explained was driven by off-the-field circumstances.
As the Albiceleste advanced through the bracket, Messi realized the severity of his father’s condition. Motivated by a desperate hope that Jorge might recover enough to witness at least one match in person—just as he had done across five previous World Cups—Messi pushed his body to the absolute limit. “I didn’t stop thinking about getting as far as possible, to give you time and for you to watch a game,” Messi shared. He ultimately led Argentina to the final against Spain, though the team fell 1-0. Reflecting on that title match, Messi noted, “I couldn’t, my legs couldn’t take any more. This time I tried to go against my physique, but I couldn’t.”
Returning to Rosario and Inter Miami
Following the conclusion of the World Cup, Messi returned to Rosario on Tuesday, July 21, just two days after the final against Spain, joining his wife Antonela Roccuzzo and their children. On Sunday morning, the family held an intimate farewell ceremony for Jorge at the El Prado private cemetery. Messi spent four days in his hometown before traveling back to the United States to resume his club duties with Inter Miami.
In his farewell letter, Messi reflected on their final conversations after he arrived back in Argentina. “When I arrived, you thought we had lost the final on penalties. We couldn’t talk about anything that happened. You couldn’t enjoy anything,” he wrote. Despite the heartbreak, Messi expressed gratitude for the guidance of his father, who managed the family’s financial structures and steered his career from their early days moving to Barcelona in 2000. “You were dad, friend, and representative,” Messi stated. “Rest in peace and take care of us from above like you did down here.”
