Lionel Messi casts doubts on football future following fathers death

Argentine football legend Lionel Messi said on Wednesday he is unsure about continuing his football career in an open letter to his father, who passed away on Saturday. “I don’t know how I’m going to manage without you, I don’t know how to go on,” Messi wrote.  “I just played soccer, and now I have serious doubts about whether I’ll keep doing it for much longer,” he added. Messi also revealed that it was his father who encouraged him to play in the 2026 World Cup, and that he had promised Jorge he’d make the final so his father would be able to travel and attend the game. Jorge Messi’s health issues made news during the tournament, when the Argentina captain was seen crying after scoring Argentina’s opening goal against Algeria. Messi later confirmed that the tears were due to “an issue completely unrelated to sports,” with subsequent rumors about his father’s health emerging. Messi’s family later confirmed that he was experiencing health issues after rumors of his death went viral on social media. “My legs had nothing left to give” The Argentine captain also referred to the final match, where Argentina was dominated by Spain and lost 0-1. “We got to the final, but even then you couldn’t make it.” Messi wrote. “I wanted to win it for you and show you a new title. I couldn’t do it; my legs had nothing left to give.” Messi went on to say that despite Argentina failing to capture a second consecutive World Cup, he and the team “enjoyed every game” and that his father was right to tell him to play in the tournament. The Argentina captain went on to remember his father taking him to training after work, never missing a match, and how he was “always right” in predicting how things would play out. “I’ll miss you dearly, but you’ll always be with me, especially in my children’s upbringing, because I teach things the way you did with me,” he wrote.  “Thank you for everything. I love you, Dad.” Will Lionel Messi retire? Messi’s words cast big doubts about the future of his career.  He’s currently under contract with Inter Miami until December 2028, though it includes opt-out clauses in 2026 and 2027. Several rumors had recently linked him to a move back to Argentina to play for his childhood club Newell’s Old Boys in Rosario, in a bid to move closer to his family, although no serious offers or approaches were reported. After the news of Jorge Messi’s passing became public, many were quick to link the Argentine captain’s case with that of Argentine star Carlos Tevez. The former Boca Juniors and Juventus man admitted in a 2022 interview that his decision to retire was motivated by his father’s passing. “I stopped playing because I lost my number one fan,” Tevez said at the time. “When I was 8 years old, he was the one who came to watch me. I thought, ‘What’s the point?’ So I got up and said, ‘I’m not playing anymore.’”