Messi pens emotional tribute to late father, questions own future in the game
Lionel Messi said on Wednesday he is having doubts about continuing his career following the death of his father last week.
econews. Messi's father, Jorge, died last week aged 68 at a medical clinic in the Argentine city of Rosario after a long illness.
"I don't know what I'm going to do without you. I don't know how to move forward. I only played football and now I have quite a few doubts about whether I'm going to keep doing it for much longer," Messi wrote in a tribute on Instagram.
"You were by my side from the beginning; there was so little left until the end. Why couldn't you hold on just a little longer so we could finish it together?"
Jorge closely accompanied his son Lionel throughout his career, beginning with his early years at Barcelona. He acted as a crucial pillar of support and, for several years, served as his representative.
The 39-year-old Argentina captain revealed one of the reasons he played in the World Cup, where they finished runners-up to Spain after an extra-time loss in the final, was because it was his father's wish.
"You always asked me to play in the last World Cup and a few days before it started was when you got worse," Messi said.
"You were by my side from the beginning; there was so little left until the end. Why couldn't you hold on just a little longer so we could finish it together?"
Jorge closely accompanied his son Lionel throughout his career, beginning with his early years at Barcelona. He acted as a crucial pillar of support and, for several years, served as his representative.
The 39-year-old Argentina captain revealed one of the reasons he played in the World Cup, where they finished runners-up to Spain after an extra-time loss in the final, was because it was his father's wish.
"You always asked me to play in the last World Cup and a few days before it started was when you got worse," Messi said.
Despite his grief, the Inter Miami forward pledged to honour his father's memory through parenting his own children.
"I'm going to miss you so much, but you will always be present, especially in the upbringing of my children, because I will teach them and raise them the way you raised me," he said.
Reuters reports
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