Lionel Messi pays heartfelt tribute to his late father as retirement comment has fans worried

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FT Desk

Lionel Messi has broken his silence following the death of his father at the age of 68.

Jorge, who famously stayed in Barcelona to allow Leo to play at La Masia while the rest of the family returned to Argentina in 2000, passed away in a hospital in his hometown of Rosario, Argentina, in the early hours of Saturday morning.

There was speculation about his well-being before and during the World Cup, as his absence from the tournament to support Leo was due to a "health-related situation", according to the family. He was present when Argentina won the World Cup final in 2022.

Jorge was his son's agent from the age of 14 onwards and was a key factor in the Argentine becoming the greatest footballer of all time, in the eyes of many. His presence in Catalunya as the only family member in Leo's life in the early years was vital to allow the young man to focus on his football and realise his immense talent.

"Jorge was the pillar and the person who supported with vision, rigour and affection the career of the greatest player of all time alongside his wife, Celia Cuccittini," Newell's Old Boys posted on X following his passing.

"His constant companionship and behind-the-scenes leadership were essential in backing every step of Lionel, from his beginnings at Malvinas [youth academy] to the pinnacle of world football glory.

"Thank you for teaching him to love these colours."

Barcelona thanked Jorge "for his commitment to our club, for entrusting us with the beginnings and the most glorious years of his son Leo's football career".

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Now, Messi has posted a lengthy message on Instagram paying tribute to his father, which you can read in full below.

Crucially, the Argentine says he is now unsure how long he'll continue playing football.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi's eternal rival, replied with a message of support, saying:

“A huge hug to you and your loved ones during these difficult times, Leo. Stay strong.”

Leo's tribute to Jorge

Dad, I still can’t believe you’re gone. I can’t process it—or rather, I don’t want to. It’s so hard for me to imagine that I’m never going to see you again, that we’re never going to talk again. I know you were suffering and that this is for the best, but you left far too soon. We still had so much left to enjoy together.

You kept asking me to play in one last World Cup, and just days before it started was when you took a turn for the worse. It was the first time you weren’t going to be at a tournament, but Mom kept telling me that you were going to get better, that you’d be well enough to travel. I told you we were going to make it to the final so you’d have time to travel.

Every time a match ended, I waited for and missed your message. That’s when I realized just how serious the situation really was. Even so, I couldn’t stop thinking about going as far as possible, to give you more time so you could come and watch a match. We made it to the final, but you couldn’t be there. I wanted to win it so I could bring the trophy back to you and show you a new one. I couldn’t. 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. I never managed to feel right.

When I got back, you thought we had lost the final on penalties. We never got to talk about everything that had happened. You weren’t able to enjoy any of it. We didn’t become champions, 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.

I’m telling you this because it was the only thing we never got to talk about, because you already know everything else. We talked every day and saw each other whenever my commitments allowed.

I don’t know what I’m going to do without you. I don’t know how to keep going. All I ever did was play football, and now I have serious doubts about whether I’ll keep doing it for much longer. You were by my side from the very beginning; there was so little left until the end. Why couldn’t you hold on just a little longer so we could finish it together?

I know that what made you happy was seeing your family doing well—your wife, your children—and above all, without anyone else knowing, watching me play… 😉

It had always been that way, ever since I was little. You took me to every training session as soon as you got home from work. Mom took me to many of them because you were working.

Of course, you never missed a single match. How you suffered watching me, and how much you enjoyed it, even though you never gave me much praise.

You were my dad, my friend, and my agent. You were always the person you needed to be in every moment, and you were never wrong about anything. Despite the occasional arguments or fights, you were always right. In the end, things always turned out the way you said they would.

I’m going to miss you so much, but you’ll always be with me, especially in the way I raise my children, because I teach and raise them the way you and Mom raised me.

Rest in peace, and keep watching over us from above the way you did down here. Thank you for everything.

I love you, Dad. ❤️

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FT Desk

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