Argentina star Messi not certain to play ‘much longer’ after father’s death

Argentina superstar Lionel Messi, one of the greatest footballers to play the game, has hinted that he may soon retire from the sport after the death of his father.

The 39-year-old, who was part of the Argentina side that was defeated by Spain in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final, rose to the top of the game from the youth ranks at Spanish club Barcelona.

After his country’s loss to Spain in July in New Jersey at the World Cup, Messi returned to play domestic football in the United States with Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami.

The forward was forced to cut short his return after the death of his father , Jorge Messi, at the age of 68 this past weekend, and he announced on Wednesday that his playing days may now be coming to an end.

“All I ever did was play football, and now I have serious doubts about whether I’ll keep doing it for much longer,” Messi posted on the social media platform Instagram.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do without you. I don’t know how to carry on.

“You were by my side from the very 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?”

Messi, whose father was also his agent, is still under contract with Miami until the end of the 2028 season, but following Argentina’s failure to defend the title they won at Qatar 2022 – Messi’s first World Cup trophy – it was rumoured the forward may soon hang up his boots.