Messi's Emotional Tribute to Late Father Jorge After World Cup Final

Lionel Messi has shared a deeply personal letter bidding farewell to his father, Jorge, who passed away last week after a long illness. The message, posted on social media on Wednesday, offers a rare glimpse into the emotional turmoil the Argentine star carried throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Messi, 39, was visibly emotional after scoring in Argentina's opening 3-0 victory over Algeria. When asked about his tears, he said, "It's something completely unrelated to football. I've had a few difficult days, but I'm grateful to everyone in the camp because they've always been by my side, giving me a lot of strength to help me get through it."

A Race Against Time

Behind Messi's record-breaking sixth World Cup campaign lay a desperate personal battle. His father's health had deteriorated just days before the tournament, and Messi admitted he had hoped to reach the final to give his father time to recover and attend the match.

"You kept asking me to play in one last World Cup, and just days before it started, you took a turn for the worse," Messi wrote. "It was the first time you weren't going to be at one of my tournaments, but mum kept telling me that you were going to get better and that you'd be well enough to travel. I told you we'd make it to the final, so you could be there."

Messi described waiting for messages from his father after each match, messages that never came. "That's when I realised how serious the situation was," he added. "Even so, I couldn't stop thinking about getting as far as possible, to buy you time to watch a match. We made it to the final, but you couldn't be there."

A Father's Influence

Jorge Messi was a constant presence throughout his son's career, from the youth ranks at Newell's Old Boys to the pinnacle of world football. Unlike many football parents, Jorge was quiet and unobtrusive, but his mere presence spurred Lionel on. "I've always craved my old man's approval," Messi confessed in a recent interview.

When Lionel was a teenager, his club refused to cover the cost of growth hormone treatment. Jorge made the difficult decision to leave the rest of the family behind and travel with his son to pursue a dream that was far from guaranteed. "My dad was always there for me. We've been through a lot of tough times," Messi recalled. "Sometimes I'd shut myself away in my room and shed a few tears, or he would do the same without letting me see what he was going through. We pretended we were both fine, but we weren't."

In his letter, Messi admitted he could not fulfill his father's final wish of seeing him lift the trophy again. "I wanted to win it so I could bring the trophy back to you and show you another one. I couldn't do it – my legs just weren't up to it. This time around, I tried to defy my physical limits, but I couldn't. I never felt quite right."

Despite the loss, Messi's campaign was marked by an extraordinary scoring streak, and he led Argentina to the final, where they were defeated. The 2022 world champion now faces an uncertain international future, but his father's legacy remains a driving force.