Messi unsure how much longer he will continue playing after father’s death

Argentina captain Lionel Messi said Wednesday that he has doubts about how much longer he will continue his playing career following the death of his father and longtime representative, Jorge Messi.

“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 quite a few doubts about whether I’ll keep doing it for much longer,” Messi wrote on Instagram.

The 39-year-old Inter Miami forward said he was struggling to come to terms with the loss.

“It’s very hard for me to imagine that I’m not going to see you anymore, we’re not going to talk anymore,” he said.

Jorge Messi died Friday at the age of 68 at a medical clinic in Rosario, Argentina, after a long illness.

He played a central role throughout his son’s career, accompanying him to Barcelona as a teenager and later managing his contracts and business affairs.

Jorge was unable to attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup because of his declining health.

“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 realized how real the situation was.”

Messi said he had hoped to win the tournament for his father but struggled physically during Argentina’s campaign.

“We reached the final and 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 wouldn’t give any more. This time I tried to go against my body, but I couldn’t. I never managed to feel good,” he said.

Argentina reached the World Cup final but lost 1-0 to Spain after extra time.

Messi returned to Argentina following his father’s death and attended a private funeral at El Prado cemetery near Rosario on Sunday.