‘I really doubt I’ll carry on’: Messi sees end of football career in farewell to his father
Messi Questions His Future Following Father's Passing
Poinews.com – For more than twenty years, Lionel Messi has maintained a careful distance between his public persona and private emotions. The Argentine forward has consistently shielded his personal life from media scrutiny, choosing to express his deepest feelings only within his inner circle. Yet following the loss of his father, the football legend has broken his usual reserve by publishing a heartfelt open letter on social media, revealing raw grief that is difficult to conceal.
Addressed directly to Jorge, the message captures Messi's uncertainty about what lies ahead. "I don't know what I'm going to do without you, I don't know how to carry on," he writes. "I just played football and now I have serious doubts that I'll keep doing it for much longer." These words carry particular significance coming from a player who has consistently avoided discussing retirement plans.
I don't know what I'm going to do without you, I don't know how to carry on. I just played football and now I have serious doubts that I'll keep doing it for much longer.
The Albiceleste captain also expresses sorrow that his father could not remain with him a little longer. "You were by my side from the very start, there was so little left to go. Why didn't you hang on that bit longer so we could finish together?" the statement conveys.
Jorge Horacio Messi held a dual role in Lionel's life, serving not only as his father but also as his agent since the footballer's earliest days. As Messi has acknowledged on multiple occasions, Jorge carried substantial responsibility for managing his son's career off the field. In the letter, Messi reflects on this enduring closeness and laments that his father's declining health—already evident during the previous World Cup—prevented Jorge from witnessing the tournament's conclusion.
Dad, I still can't believe you're gone. We still had so much left to enjoy together. You kept insisting that I should play the last World Cup, and just days before it began was when you got worse.
Messi recounts how his mother convinced him that Jorge would recover sufficiently to travel and attend the final match. The player held onto this hope until the end. "I told you we were going to reach the final so you could travel. We made it to the final and you couldn't be there," he adds, referencing Argentina's July 19 defeat to Spain in New Jersey.
Reflecting on that match, Messi admits his body had reached its limits. "I wanted to win it to bring it to you and show you a new one. I couldn't; my legs just weren't there any more. This time I tried to push my body beyond its limits, but I couldn't. I never managed to feel right," he concludes, acknowledging the physical toll he carried into the World Cup.
Currently, Messi remains contracted with Inter Miami and has not issued any official statement regarding his plans with either the American club or the Argentine national squad. Nevertheless, the letter indicates that his father's death has prompted a period of reflection he had not previously shared publicly. The player himself has noted that his connection to football has always been intertwined with his father's presence, which helps clarify why questions about his future have surfaced at this precise moment.
Jorge Messi's funeral took place privately at El Prado cemetery in Rosario, the shared hometown of father and son. Antonela Roccuzzo and the footballer's children were among those in attendance. Various Argentine football organizations, including Newell's Old Boys—the club Jorge openly supported—offered their condolences in the days following the passing.
A Career Defined by Achievement
Messi's journey through football has been marked by numerous milestones:
Barcelona Debut (2004): At just seventeen years old, Messi made his first-team league appearance for Barcelona, beginning a tenure that would span more than twenty years.
Champions League Triumph in Rome (2009): Messi netted a header for the second goal in the final against Manchester United. That season, Barcelona captured all six available trophies, and Messi has since called that goal the most significant of his career.
Qatar 2022 World Cup: The championship that had eluded him for years finally arrived. Messi lifted the trophy after Argentina defeated France in a penalty shootout, becoming world champion after four previous final defeats with the senior national team.
Departure from Barcelona (2021): Following over two decades at the club and thirty-five trophies, Messi tearfully announced his exit amid financial and institutional difficulties, subsequently joining Paris Saint-Germain.
Ninth Ballon d'Or (2023): The 2023 season delivered Messi's most recent Ballon d'Or, recognizing him as the year's top player. He shared the podium with Spain's Aitana Bonmatí, who received the women's award.
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