The Argentine captain bid farewell to Jorge Messi with an emotional message on his official social media
The star from Rosario explained that this was one of the few things left unresolved between them: "I'm telling you this because it was the only thing we couldn't talk about, because you already know everything else. We talked every day and saw each other when we could due to my commitments".
Lionel Messi is going through one of the most difficult moments of his life after the death of his father, Jorge Messi. The Inter Miami player traveled from the United States to Argentina to be with his family and say goodbye alongside his loved ones. After spending a few days in the country, he returned to American soil and, back home, decided to publicly share some heartfelt words to honor his dad.
Through an extensive post on Instagram, the captain of the Argentine National Team opened his heart and acknowledged that he still cannot process the loss. "Dad, I still can't believe you've gone. I can't accept it, or rather, I don't want to accept it. It's very hard for me to imagine that I won't see you anymore, that we won't talk anymore. I know you were suffering and that it's for the best, but you left too soon. We still had so much to enjoy together", he began.
One of the most important moments Messi recalled was the 2026 World Cup, a competition that Jorge urged him to participate in and that he ultimately could not share in person. "You kept asking me to play in the last World Cup, and days before it started was when you got the worst. It was the first time you wouldn't be at a tournament, but mom told me you would be better and that you would be fine to travel. I told you we would reach the final so you could travel", he recounted.
During the tournament, Messi explained that he began to understand the gravity of the situation when he did not receive the usual messages from his father after each match. "Every time a match ended, I waited and missed your message. That's when I realized the situation was really bad", he commented.
However, he continued with the hope of reaching the final so that Jorge could accompany him. "Even so, I couldn't stop thinking about going as far as possible, to give you time to see a match. We reached the final and you couldn't be there. I wanted to win it to take it to you and show you a new one. I couldn't, my legs couldn't take it anymore. This time I tried to go against my body, but I couldn't. I never felt good", he wrote.
The Rosario native also recalled returning home after the World Cup final and lamented that his father could not enjoy what happened. "When I arrived, you thought we had lost the final on penalties. We couldn't talk about anything that happened. You couldn't enjoy anything. We weren't champions, but you don't know how we enjoyed every match. Once again, you were right: I had to be there and play it", he noted.
One of the strongest passages of the letter appeared when Messi spoke about his professional future. The player acknowledged that the absence of his father also generates uncertainty about how much longer he will continue playing. "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 many doubts about whether I will continue doing it for much longer. You were by my side from the beginning, it was so little time left until the end. Why couldn't you hold on just a little longer and we could finish together?", he expressed.
The relationship between them was marked by a constant presence of Jorge in the formation and career of the player. In that sense, Messi recalled those early years and how his father did everything possible to support him. "Since I was little, it was always like that. You took me to all the training sessions as soon as you got home from work. Mom took me to many because you were working. Obviously, you never missed a match. How you suffered watching me and how you enjoyed it, even though you never gave me many compliments", he shared.
In the final part of his letter, Messi highlighted the role Jorge played throughout his life: "You were a dad, a friend, and a representative. You were always the person you needed to be at every moment and you never made a mistake. Beyond some reproaches or fights, you were always right. In the end, it always turned out as you said".
He also assured that his father will continue to be present through the way he will educate his children: "I will miss you a lot, but you will always be present, especially in the education of my children, because I teach and raise them as you did with me".
Messi closed his farewell with a final message of love and gratitude: "Rest in peace and watch over us from above as you did here. Thank you for everything. I love you, dad".
