Football superstar Lionel Messi took to Instagram on Wednesday (August 12) to share a picture of himself with his late father, Jorge Messi. Jorge, who was also his son’s agent, passed away last week following
a prolonged illness. Messi returned to Rosario to attend his father’s funeral and, a few days after his loss, opened up about his grief in an emotional social media post.
Messi shared a picture with his father alongside a three-word caption: “Te amo, pa” (I love you, dad).
He also shared a lengthy note in which he admitted that he still cannot come to terms with his father’s death.
“Dad, I still can’t believe you’re gone. It hasn’t sunk in, or rather, I don’t want it to. It’s so hard 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,” Messi wrote.
“You kept asking me to play in the last World Cup, and it was just days before it started that you were at your worst. It was the first time you weren’t going to be at a tournament, but Mom kept telling me you’d get better and that you’d be well enough to travel. I kept telling you we were going to make it to the final so you could go.”
“Every time a game ended, I waited for and missed your message. That’s when I realised how awful the situation really was. Even so, I kept thinking about going as far as possible, to give you time to see a game. We made it to the final, and you couldn’t be there.”
Messi then reflected on the FIFA World Cup 2026 final, saying he wanted to win the trophy so that he could take it home and show it to his father.
“I wanted to win it so I could take it home and show you a new one. I couldn’t do it; my legs just wouldn’t give out. This time, I tried to push myself against my physical limitations, but I couldn’t.”
In the final of FIFA World Cup 2026, Messi’s Argentina suffered 0-1 defeat against Spain at New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19.
“I never felt right. When I arrived, you thought we’d lost the final on penalties. We couldn’t talk about anything that had happened. You couldn’t enjoy it at all. We weren’t champions, but you have no idea how much we enjoyed every single match,” Messi further wrote.
In this year’s FIFA World Cup, Messi played all eight matches for Argentina and scored 8 goals in addition to providing four assists.
“Once again, you were right: I had to be there and play. 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 whenever my schedule allowed.”
Messi also revealed that he does not know how he will cope without his father and raised doubts about his future in football.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do without you, I don’t know how to go on. I just played football, and now I seriously doubt I’ll be able to keep doing it for much longer. You were by my side from the very beginning; the end was so close,” he said.
“Why couldn’t you have held on that little bit longer so we could have finished together?”
The Argentina captain then recalled how much his father enjoyed seeing him play football and the role he played throughout his career.
“I know your happiness came from seeing your family, your wife, your children, and, above all, without anyone else finding out, seeing me play.
“It was always like that from the time I was little. You took me to every training session as soon as you got home from work. My mom took me to many of them because you were working. Of course, you never missed a single match.
“How you suffered watching me play and how you enjoyed it, even though you never showered me with praise. You were a father, a friend and an agent. You were always the person you needed to be in every situation, and you were never wrong about anything.
“Despite a few disagreements or arguments, you were always right. In the end, it all turned out just like you said.”
Messi concluded his emotional tribute by saying that his father would always remain a part of his life, particularly through the way he raises his own children.
“I’m going to miss you so much, but you’ll always be with me, especially in my children’s upbringing, because I teach and raise them the way you raised me.
“Rest in peace and watch over us from above, just like you did here.
“Thank you for everything. I love you, Dad,” he added.
