Lionel Messi not sure if he will play much longer as he pays emotional trib...

One of the modern greats of Football, Lionel Messi has admitted that he is “not sure” how long he will continue to play after the demise of his father. The Argentine superstar’s father, Jorge, passed away last week at the age of 68 after battling illness for a long time.

Jorge was one of the most influential figures of Messi’s career, since he also doubled up as his agent from the time the 2022 world cup winner started playing football at the age of 14. He was a key man behind Messi and oversaw his rising into one of the all-time greats of the beautiful game.

In an emotional tribute to his late father, Messi said he did not know how to carry on playing without his father, indicating that he may officially announce his retirement from the game soon. In an instagram post, he wrote, “I don’t know what I am going to do without you. I don't know how to carry on. I used to just play football, and now I am really not sure if I will carry on doing it for much longer. You were by my side from the beginning; there was so little left until the end. Why couldn’t you hold on just a little longer so we could finish it together?”

Mess led Argentina to World Cup glory in 2022 but he could not emulate the same achievement in 2026 as his team lost 1-0 in the final to Spain. There were already plenty of talks going around that the World Cup 2026 finals potentially marked the end of the road for Messi’s international career.

His manager Lionel Scaloni cast further doubt amongst his fans about Messi’s future with the national team as he had a tearful press conference after the end of the final. The global icon may continue to play club football with Inter Miami for a few years, having signed a contract extension with MLS club until 2028.

As the Argentine superstar mourns the loss of his beloved dad, it would be interesting to see if he will choose to prolong his career any more. The eight time Ballon d’Or winner went home to be with his family and loved ones after the passing of his father in a hospital at his hometown Rosario, Argentina.

Messi missed Inter Miami’s match against Monterrey, which they lost whilst his teammates wore a black armband during the match. Rodrigo De Paul even paid tribute to Messi during his goal celebration by revealing the no 10 jersey he wore under his usual jersey.