Lionel Messi pays tribute to father Jorge after final years spent battling illness

Lionel Messi has paid an emotional tribute to his father Jorge, who died on Saturday aged 68 after a long illness, saying he does not know how he will continue without him.

The Argentina legend published a lengthy message on Instagram on Wednesday, describing the pain of losing the man who had been beside him from the beginning of his football career and expressing gratitude for the years they shared.

“Dad, I still cannot believe you are gone. I still have not processed it, or rather, I do not want to process it. It is difficult for me to imagine that we will never speak again. I know you were suffering and that this was for the best, but you left us far too soon. We still had so much to enjoy together,” Messi wrote.

He recalled how Jorge had repeatedly asked him to take part in the most recent World Cup, before his health deteriorated shortly before the tournament began.

“You kept asking me to take part in the last World Cup, and then, a few days before it started, your condition became worse. It was the first time you would not attend a tournament, but Mum kept reassuring me that you would get better and be healthy enough to travel. I reassured you that we would reach the final so you could go.”

Messi said he waited for a message from his father after every match, eventually understanding how serious his condition had become.

“Every time a match ended, I waited for your message. That was when I realised how bad things were. Even so, I kept thinking about going as far as possible, to give you time to watch one match. We reached the final, and you could not attend. I wanted to win it, dedicate it to you and show you another victory. I could not; my legs could not take any more.”

“This time, I tried as hard as I could to push beyond my physical limits, but I could not. I never felt comfortable.”

Messi also described how Jorge initially believed Argentina had lost the final on penalties. The team won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after beating France in a penalty shootout, but the pair were unable to properly discuss the match when they were reunited.

“When I arrived, you thought we had lost the final on penalties. We could not talk about anything that had happened. You did not enjoy the match at all. We were not champions, but you cannot imagine how much we enjoyed every match. Once again, you were right: I should have been there and played.”

Messi said the World Cup final was the only subject they had been able to discuss, because Jorge already knew everything else about his son’s life.

“I am telling you this because it was the only subject we were able to talk about; you already knew everything else. We spoke every day and met whenever my commitments prevented us from seeing each other.”

The 37-year-old added: “I do not know what I will do without you. I do not know how to carry on. I used to play football, and now I seriously doubt whether I can continue doing that for much longer.”

“You were beside me from the beginning; we were only a few steps from the finish. Why could we not hold on to each other for a little longer and finish it together?”

Messi said Jorge’s happiness came from seeing his family doing well and, above all, from secretly watching his son play football.

“You took me to every training session as soon as you returned from work. Mum took me to many of them because you were working. Clearly, you never missed a match. You suffered while watching me and enjoyed it, even though you did not praise me very often.”

He described Jorge as “a father, a friend and a representative”, adding that he had always been the person the family needed and had ultimately been proved right despite disagreements.

Messi ended his tribute by saying he would teach his own children in the same way Jorge had raised him.

“I will miss you terribly, but you will always remain in my heart, especially in the way I raise my children, because I teach and bring them up as you did with me. Rest in peace, and watch over us from above as you always did. Thank you for everything. I love you, Dad.”

Messi’s friends, team-mates and supporters quickly sent messages of sympathy and support following Jorge’s death.

The former Barcelona and Paris St-Germain forward later thanked everyone who had contacted him and his family.

“I would like to express my deepest thanks to everyone for the love, respect and great affection you have shown me and my family during this difficult period following my father’s death. Thank you for standing by us, for every message and every gesture, and above all for respecting our grief and our privacy,” he wrote on Instagram Stories.