Football legend uncertain about continuing career following father's death

Argentinian football legend Lionel Messi shared a heartbreaking statement following the death of his father earlier this month, in which he raised doubts about whether he could continue pursuing the sport without his parent's support.

The 39-year-old athlete shared an open letter via his social media accounts, as Caliber.Az reports, commemorating Jorge Messi, who died at the age of 68 following a long illness.

Accompanied by a photo of the pair, Messi wrote in his statement that "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."

The footballer revealed that it was his father's wish for the Argentinian legend to participate in the FIFA World Cup 2026, in which Messi led his team as captain to the final round against Spain.

“It was the first time you weren’t going to be at a tournament, but Mum told me that you were going to get better and that you’d be well enough to travel. I told you we were going to reach the final so you could travel. “Every time a match ended, I waited for and missed your message. That’s when I realised the situation was really bad," Messi shared.

The Argentinian captain recalled the difficulties he faced during the final match of the tournament, which the Spanish opponents won after scoring the decisive goal. Messi remembers how “we reached the final and you couldn’t be there. I wanted to win it to bring it to you and show you a new one. I couldn’t: my legs wouldn’t give any more."

Messi then went on to admit he may opt to retire soon as he cannot bear the thought of continuing his football career without his father's support.

Messi added: “I don’t know what I’m going to do without you, I don’t know how to go on.

“I only played football and now I have quite a few doubts about whether I’ll keep doing it for much longer," he revealed.

Jorge handled his son's off-field obligations, was involved in important career decisions, and played a prominent role in negotiations regarding the Messi brand and major commercial parties. It was also him who convinced the legendary FC Barcelona club to take his 14-year-old son on and pay for his growth hormones treatment, sealing the deal by signing a napkin. The athlete would eventually rise to the top of the game from the youth ranks at Spanish club Barcelona.

Following his country’s defeat by Spain in New Jersey at the World Cup, Messi returned to play domestic football in the US with Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami.

By Nazrin Sadigova