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Argentina superstar Lionel Messi, one of the greatest footballers to play the game, has hinted that he may soon retire from the sport after the death of his father.
The 39-year-old, who was part of the Argentina side that was defeated by Spain in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final, rose to the top of the game from the youth ranks at Spanish club Barcelona.
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After his country’s defeat by Spain in July in New Jersey at the World Cup, Messi returned to play domestic football in the United States with Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami.
The forward was forced to cut short his return after the death of his father, Jorge Messi, at the age of 68 on August 8, and he announced on Wednesday that his playing days may now be coming to an end.
“All I ever did was play football, and now I have serious doubts about whether I’ll keep doing it for much longer,” Messi posted on the social media platform X.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do without you. I don’t know how to carry on.
“You were by my side from the very 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?”
Messi, whose father was also his agent, is still contract with Miami until the end of the 2028 season, but following his Argentina’s failure to defend the title the won at Qatar 2022 – Messi’s first World Cup – it was rumoured the forward may soon hang up his boots.
In his message the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star also reflected on the final months of his father’s life, which coincided with the World Cup.
“I kept telling you we would reach the final so you could make the trip,” said Messi, who returned to the United States on Tuesday night following his father’s funeral on Sunday.
“We made it to the final, but you couldn’t be there. I wanted to win it to bring it to you and show you a new one. I couldn’t, my legs just gave out.
“This time I tried to push past my physical limits, but I couldn’t. I never felt right,” Messi said in his first comments after the 1-0 defeat by Spain.
Messi also highlighted his father’s pivotal role in his life and career: “You were a father, a friend, and an agent. You were always exactly who you needed to be in every moment, and you never put a foot wrong.”
Jorge Messi’s unusual absence from the World Cup in June had already attracted attention.
Messi’s family asked the media for “humanity” during the tournament amid persistent rumours over Jorge’s health.
After bursting into tears after scoring against Algeria in a group match, Messi had admitted to dealing with “a situation outside of sports”.
Messi, who was his countries captain at the World Cup, also revealed that one of the main reasons he appeared at the last edition 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.
“It was the first time you weren’t going to be at a tournament… Every time a match ended, I would wait and hope for your message. That’s when I realised how real the situation was.”
On Sunday, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner bid farewell to his father during a private ceremony with close family and a few Argentina teammates in the town of Perez, adjacent to Rosario.
The cause of death was not disclosed, but local media reported that Jorge Messi had been suffering from cancer.
Despite his grief, Messi 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.
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