Ronaldo’s message to Messi highlights humanity beyond football’s greatest rivalry

Cristiano Ronaldo has offered his support to Lionel Messi following the death of the Argentina forward’s father, Jorge Messi, at the age of 68.

Ronaldo, captain of Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr and Portugal, responded to a heartfelt message posted by Messi on Instagram after his father died last week following a long illness.

The brief reply from Ronaldo read: “A big hug to you and your loved ones in this difficult moment, Leo. Stay strong.”

The message came despite the intense competition between Ronaldo and Messi, who spent more than a decade contesting their status as the leading players in world football.

Their rivalry, played out at club and international level, has become one of the most famous individual contests in the history of the sport. But Ronaldo’s words showed the relationship between the two players could move beyond their battles on the pitch during a moment of personal grief for Messi.

Messi had written at length about the loss of his father, explaining how difficult it was to accept that he would no longer be able to see or speak to him.

“Dad, I still can’t believe you’re gone. I’m not falling, or rather, I don’t want to fall,” Messi wrote.

“It is very difficult for me to imagine that I will not see you again and that we will not talk together any more. I know that you were suffering, and that this may have been best for you, but you left too soon. We still had so much to enjoy together.”

Messi also recalled one of his father’s wishes and the deterioration in his health before the most recent World Cup.

“You often asked me to play in the last World Cup, and in the days immediately before it began your condition started to deteriorate significantly,” he said.

The former Barcelona and Paris St-Germain player described the emptiness left by Jorge’s death and questioned how he would continue without him.

“I don’t know what I will do without you, and I don’t know how I will continue moving forward,” Messi wrote.

“I was only playing football, and now I have many doubts about whether I will continue doing that for much longer.”

He also asked why his father had not been able to remain with him a little longer so they could complete their journey together.

“Why couldn’t you hold on a little longer, so that we could finish the journey together?” Messi said.

Jorge Messi was closely involved in his son’s life and career from the beginning. He was present during Messi’s early days at Newell’s Old Boys and remained alongside him as he rose to the top of world football.

He was not only Messi’s father but also his agent, playing a central role in the management of the player’s career and in decisions affecting his footballing future. Jorge also had an important role in handling commercial matters connected with his son’s name.

Messi indicated in his message that his father’s happiness was tied to seeing his family doing well, particularly watching his son play football. That connection remained part of their lives from Messi’s childhood through to his success at the highest level.

Ronaldo’s response underlined how sporting competition can give way to compassion away from the stadium, with one of football’s greatest stars offering comfort to his long-time rival.

Related: After 10 years, Cristiano Ronaldo announces marriage to Georgina in a family ceremony.