Lionel Messi is going through one of the most difficult times of his life. The Argentine star shared an emotional message dedicated to his father, Jorge Messi, who passed away on Saturday at the age of 68, and opened the door to a possibility that will surely unsettle his millions of fans: uncertainty about how much longer he will continue playing soccer.
On social media, Messi remembered his father and spoke about how much his presence had meant throughout his career. In a message filled with grief, he acknowledged that he doesn’t know how to face life without him and confessed that he even has doubts about continuing to play.
The loss comes at a particularly difficult time for the Argentine, who just a few weeks ago played in the World Cup with Argentina and led his national team to the final.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do without you”: Messi remembers his father
In his post, Messi revealed a side of himself rarely seen in public. He wrote a message dedicated directly to Jorge, recalling the conversations they had before the World Cup and his father’s wish to see him play in one last World Cup.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do without you,” Messi wrote.
The Argentine also acknowledged that he doesn’t know how to move forward now and that his entire life has revolved around soccer.
“The only thing I’ve ever done is play soccer,” he said, before admitting that he currently has doubts about whether he’ll be able to continue doing so for much longer.
The confession sparked a huge reaction among his fans, especially since Messi doesn’t usually speak so directly about his athletic future.
Jorge Messi wanted to see his son at the last World Cup
One of the most moving parts of the message was the recollection of the conversations Lionel and Jorge had before the World Cup. Messi explained that his father repeatedly asked him to play in that last World Cup.
However, just before the tournament began, Jorge’s health took a turn for the worse.
For the first time, his father would not be there with him at a World Cup. Even so, Messi said that his mother kept telling him that Jorge would get better and might even recover enough to travel.
The soccer player also told his father that they would make it to the final. And they did.
Messi wanted to win the World Cup for his father
Argentina made it to the World Cup final, and Messi acknowledged that he had a very personal reason for wanting to lift the trophy. He wanted to do it for his father.
The Argentine recalled that during the tournament he tried to push his body to the limit, but in the end he couldn’t achieve the result he’d hoped for.
“My legs just couldn’t take it anymore,” he explained in his post.
Messi said he tried to push beyond what his body could handle, but he wasn’t able to feel his best during that stretch. Although Argentina reached the title match, the team finished as runner-up. For Messi, however, that World Cup held a significance that went far beyond the sporting results.
