Messi questions his football future after death of father Jorge, aged 68, in Rosario

Father's death and tribute

Jorge Messi, Lionel Messi's father and long-time agent, died on Friday, August 7, 2026, at the Sanatorio Centro clinic in Rosario, Argentina, at the age of 68. He had been suffering from a prolonged illness, which France 24, citing media reports, identified as cancer. A private funeral was held on Sunday, August 9, at a cemetery in Perez, a town on the outskirts of Rosario. Messi traveled to Argentina immediately after receiving the news, joining his family for the memorial service.

On Wednesday, August 12, Messi broke his silence with a lengthy Instagram post accompanied by photographs with his father. The 39-year-old Argentina captain expressed uncertainty about his footballing future for the first time.

“I don't know what I'm going to do without you. I don't know how to move forward. I only played football and now I have quite a few doubts about whether I'm going to keep doing it for much longer.”

Jorge Messi's role in a record career

Jorge Messi had been his son's agent since Lionel was 14 years old and accompanied him to Barcelona at age 13, when the boy left for Spain with only his father by his side. Messi described his father as a father, friend, and agent who always knew how to be the right person at every moment and never made a mistake. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner has scored a combined 921 goals for Barcelona, Paris St-Germain, Inter Miami, and Argentina. He is currently under contract with Inter Miami until 2028.

World Cup played under a father's shadow

The deterioration in Jorge Messi's health coincided with the 2026 World Cup in North America. Argentina reached the final on July 19 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, but lost to Spain 1-0 after extra time. Jorge was too ill to attend any matches, the first tournament he had ever missed.

In Argentina's opening match against Algeria, Messi scored a hat-trick in a 3-0 win but broke down in tears after his first goal. He later explained his tears were due to "something unrelated to football" after going through "a few difficult, complicated days." A family statement at the time said Jorge was facing a "situation related to his health."

“You always asked me to play in the last World Cup and a few days before it started was when you got worse. It was the first time you weren't going to be at a tournament. Every time a match ended, I would wait and hope for your message. That's when I realised how real the situation was.”

Messi said he pushed himself beyond his physical limits in the final, wanting to win it for his father, but could not. He wrote that his legs could not go on anymore and that he never felt well during the tournament. He acknowledged that despite the loss, his father had been right to insist he play.

Reactions and what comes next

Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi's long-time rival for the title of the world's best player, responded to the Instagram post with a message of support.

“A huge hug to you and yours in these hard moments, Leo. Much strength.”

Neither Messi nor Inter Miami have officially confirmed any intention to step away from the sport. Despite his grief, Messi pledged to honor his father's memory through raising his own children, saying he would teach and raise them the way Jorge raised him.