Inter Miami forward and eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi has penned an emotional farewell message to his late father, who reportedly died last week following a brief illness.
Messi revealed that he still cannot believe his father is gone and admitted that he is struggling to accept that he will never see or speak to him again:
“Dad, I still can’t believe you’re gone. It hasn’t sunk in, or rather, I don’t want it to. It’s so difficult for me to imagine that I’ll never see you again, that we’ll never talk again. I know you were suffering and that this is for the best, but you left too soon. We still had so much more to enjoy together.”
The Argentine superstar recalled how his father always wanted him to play in his final World Cup and hoped he would recover in time to watch him:
“You always asked me to play in my last World Cup, and just days before it started, that was when you became the most unwell. It was the first time you weren’t going to be at a tournament, but Mom told me you would get better and be well enough to travel. I told you we were going to reach the final so you could travel and be there.”
Messi said he kept waiting for his father’s message after every match and wanted to progress as far as possible so he could watch him play:
“Every time a match ended, I would wait for and miss your message. That was when I realised how serious the situation really was. Even so, I never stopped thinking about going as far as possible, to buy you enough time to see at least one match. We reached the final, but you couldn’t be there. I wanted to win it for you, to take the trophy to you and show you a new one. I couldn’t. My legs had nothing left. This time, I tried to push beyond what my body could handle, but I couldn’t. I never felt right.”
Messi revealed that his father believed they had lost the final on penalties and said they never got the opportunity to discuss everything that happened:
“When I arrived, you thought we had lost the final on penalties. We never got to talk about everything that happened. You couldn’t enjoy any of it. We didn’t become champions, but you have no idea how much we enjoyed every match. Once again, you were right: I had to be there and play it.”
The former Barcelona captain explained that the World Cup was the only thing they never got to discuss, as his father already knew everything else about his life:
“I’m telling you this because it was the only thing we never got to talk about, because you already knew everything else. We spoke every day and saw each other whenever my commitments allowed.”
Messi admitted that he does not know how to continue without his father and revealed that he is now questioning his future in football:
“I don’t know what I’m going to do without you. I don’t know how to carry on. I only played football, and now I have serious doubts about whether I’ll continue doing it for much longer. You were by my side from the very beginning, and there was so little left until the end. Why couldn’t you hold on just a little longer so we could finish it together?”
Messi said his father’s greatest happiness was seeing his family doing well and, secretly, watching him play football:
“I know your happiness was seeing your family, your wife, your children doing well and, above all, without the others knowing, seeing me play.”
Messi recalled how his father supported his football journey from childhood, taking him to training whenever he returned from work:
“It had always been that way since I was little. You took me to every training session as soon as you got home from work. Many times, Mom took me because you were working.”
The World Cup winner remembered how his father never missed his matches and shared both the suffering and joy of watching him play:
“Of course, you never missed a match. How you suffered watching me, and how much you enjoyed it, even though you never gave me much praise.”
Messi described his father as his dad, friend and representative, saying he always knew the right role to play and was ultimately proven right:
“You were my father, my friend and my representative. You were always the person you needed to be in every moment, and you were never wrong about anything. Beyond the occasional disagreements or arguments, you were always right. In the end, things always turned out the way you said they would.”
Messi said he will continue to feel his father’s presence through the way he raises and educates his own children:
“I’m going to miss you so much, but you will always be present, especially in the way I raise my children, because I will teach and raise them the way you and Mom raised me.”
Messi asked his father to rest in peace and continue watching over the family from above:
“Rest in peace and watch over us from above, just as you always did here. Thank you for everything.”
Messi concluded his emotional tribute with a simple message of love to his father:
“I love you, Dad”.
The football world, including the Ballon d’Or organisers, FIFA and several football players, have joined in commiserating with Lionel Messi following the death of his father.
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