Lionel Messi shared a heartfelt message following the passing of his father, Jorge Messi.
On August 11, Messi posted on his social media, saying, "I still can't believe that Dad is gone. It's hard to imagine that I can no longer see or talk to him. There was still so much left for us to enjoy together, and he left too soon."
He added, "Dad asked me to make sure to play in the last World Cup," but noted that "his condition worsened just days before the tournament began."
Messi recalled telling his father, "We will make it to the final, and you can come then." He waited for his father's messages after each match, realizing the seriousness of the situation only later. "I wanted to buy time somehow so that Dad could see at least one game in person," he said.
However, Jorge was unable to attend the matches. Messi expressed, "I wanted to win and bring the trophy to Dad and show him a new one, but I couldn't. This time, I tried to fight against physical limitations, but it was impossible. My legs had no strength."
When he visited his father after the World Cup, Messi recounted, "When I arrived, Dad thought we had lost in the final by penalty shootout. I couldn't tell him everything that had happened. He couldn't enjoy anything."
Messi reflected, "Dad doesn't know how much we enjoyed every game. Once again, he was right. I should have been there, and I should have played in the World Cup."
He also expressed uncertainty about his future without his father, saying, "I don't know what to do or how to keep going without him. I just played soccer, but now I'm not sure if I can continue this for much longer."
Messi lamented, "You were with me from the beginning, and there was so little time left. Why couldn't you hold on a little longer to finish this together?"
Jorge Messi passed away on August 8 at the age of 68 in Rosario, Argentina.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.