MessiArgentina superstar and inspiration behind his country’s 2022 World Cup victory Lionel Messi said Wednesday he has “serious doubts” about continuing to play football for “much longer” after the death of his father Jorge Messi. In the message, Messi, whose contract with Major League Soccer outfit Inter Miami runs till the end of the 2028 season, reflected on the final months of his father’s life, which coincided with the 2026 World Cup. I never felt right,” Messi said in his first comments after the 1–0 loss to Spain in the final in New Jersey. Messi highlighted his father’s pivotal role in his life and career: “You were a father, a friend, and an agent. The cause of death was not disclosed, but local media reported that Jorge Messi had been suffering from cancer.