Legendary Argentine footballer Lionel Messi took to social media to pay tribute to his father, Jorge Messi, who passed away last week after a long battle with illness.
Jorge, aged 68, had been undergoing treatment for an unspecified illness for a few months. On the eve of Wednesday, August 8, he died at a hospital in his home town of Rosario.
Lionel Messi Pays Tribute To His Late Father
“It is difficult to imagine that I won’t see you again, that we won’t speak anymore. I know you were suffering, and it’s for the best, but you left too soon. We still had so much left to enjoy together… “Dad, I still can’t believe you have gone,” Messi wrote in a recent social media post.
The 39-year-old addressed Argentina’s recent FIFA World Cup 2026 final loss to Spain, writing that he wanted to bring another World Cup to his father but couldn’t.
“But you could not be there. I wanted to win it to bring it home and show you [the World Cup] again. I couldn’t; my legs had nothing left to give. I tried, but I couldn’t.
Lionel Messi led Argentina to their second consecutive FIFA World Cup final. But after having won the title in 2022, they could not repeat the feat, being dominated on the pitch by Spain in the final and losing 1-0 in extra time.
“You asked me to play in this last World Cup so many times, and just before it started was when you were at your worst,” the post continued.
“It was the first time you were not at a tournament, but mum told me you would get better and you would be able to travel. I told you we would reach the final so you could come.
“You thought we had lost the final on penalties. We couldn’t speak about anything that had happened. I couldn’t enjoy anything.
“After every match, I waited for and missed your message. That’s when I realised how serious the situation really was.
“We were not champions in the end, but you don’t know how much we enjoyed every game. You were right once again: I had to be there and play at the World Cup,” he further wrote about how he wanted to win the World Cup for his father.
Messi also suggested that Jorge was his motivation for continuing to play football despite almost turning 40 and that he does not have the spirit to continue.
“My legs just couldn’t give me any more. This time I tried to push beyond what my body could handle, but I couldn’t.”
He ended his address by stating how his father played a major role in his football journey.
“We didn’t become champions, Dad, but you have no idea how much we enjoyed every match. Once again, you were right: I had to be there and play in it… as you told me, always.”
Messi is arguably the greatest football player of all time. And in his journey to becoming the GOAT, his father played a massive role. When Lionel was just 13 years old, Jorge upended his life in Argentina to accompany his son to Spain when Barcelona offered him an opportunity to join its training academy.
Jorge Messi would later become a manager and representative for Lionel Messi, playing a massive role in his son’s career, his image, and contracts. He would accompany Lionel throughout his footballing journey, from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain, and even to Inter Miami.
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