Lionel Messi received a public message of support from longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo following the death of Jorge Messi, the father of the Argentina captain, according to widespread sports coverage across international media outlets.
Cristiano Ronaldo Sends Public Condolences
The heartfelt farewell letter published by Lionel Messi to mourn his father drew enormous reach across social media platforms, uniting teammates, sports executives, and global figures in shared grief. Among the hundreds of public reactions, a comment from Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo drew significant attention from football fans worldwide. Leaving aside a decade-long sporting rivalry that defined an era of European club football, Ronaldo reached out directly to his historical counterpart. According to reports from regional sports outlets, Ronaldo wrote on Messi’s official social media post, “Un abrazo enorme para ti y los tuyos en estos duros momentos, Leo. Mucha fuerza” (A huge hug to you and yours in these hard times, Leo. Much strength).
A Rivalry Set Aside for Personal Loss
The digital exchange highlighted a moment of solidarity that transcended one of the most intense individual competitions in the history of sport. For over ten years, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo battled at the peak of world football, anchoring battles between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. Their rivalry was marked by chases for UEFA Champions League titles, Ballon d’Or trophies, scoring records, and titles. However, faced with the profound personal sorrow of Messi losing his father, those intense sporting divisions faded entirely into the background as the Portugal forward offered a public gesture of comfort.
Messi’s Emotional Farewell to His Father
Prior to the outpouring of public responses, Lionel Messi broke his silence with an intimate and extensive farewell letter dedicated to Jorge Messi on Instagram. The Argentina captain reflected on the steady presence his father provided from his earliest days playing football to his rise among the game’s all-time greats. “Pa, todavía no puedo creer que te hayas ido. No caigo, o mejor dicho, no quiero caer,” Messi wrote in the opening lines of his tribute, revealing the profound disbelief surrounding the loss.
The Shadow of the World Cup
Within the emotional text, Messi shared the heavy personal burden he carried during his most recent international campaign. The forward disclosed that his father had repeatedly urged him to compete in what would become his final World Cup tournament. Yet, just days before the competition got underway, Jorge Messi’s health deteriorated significantly. The family maintained hope that he might recover sufficiently to travel and watch the matches in person, with Messi telling him they would reach the final so he could be present. Although Argentina ultimately advanced to the match, Jorge was unable to attend. Messi recounted that after every fixture, he looked instinctively for a message from his father, realizing the true gravity of the situation as those messages stopped coming, yet he pushed forward through the tournament with the hope of dedicating a final victory to him.
Wider Reactions from the Football Community
Ronaldo was not the only prominent figure from international football to respond to the family’s loss. Argentina national team members including Leandro Paredes and Cristian “Cuti” Romero, alongside Argentine Football Association (AFA) president Claudio Tapia, offered public condolences on Instagram to support their captain through the difficult mourning period.
