Lionel Messi reveals World Cup promise to late father that puts Argentina run in new light

Sahil KurupWed, August 12, 2026 at 3:27 PM UTC

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Lionel Messi has written an emotional message following his father's death. -Credit:(Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Lionel Messi revealed in an emotional Instagram tribute that his run to this year's World Cup final was driven by a personal promise made to his father, Jorge, who had been battling a serious illness in the days before the tournament began and was ultimately unable to attend.

Jorge Messi died last week at a hospital in Rosario, Argentina, at age 68, following a prolonged illness, putting his son's career in doubt as he hinted at retirement.

Newell's Old Boys, the club where Jorge himself once played and where Lionel began his youth career, described him in a statement as "the pillar and the person who, with vision, rigor and affection, supported the career of the best player of all time."

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Jorge had served as his son's agent since Lionel was 14 years old, negotiating his move to Barcelona's famed La Masia academy and later his transfers to Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami.

In his tribute, Messi revealed that his father's health had taken a sharp turn for the worse just days before the World Cup began, marking what would have been the first tournament of Messi's career that Jorge could not attend in person.

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"You asked me so much to play in the last World Cup and days before the start was when you reached your worst," Messi wrote. "It was the first time you weren't going to be at a tournament, but mom told me that you were going to be better and that you were going to be fine to be able to travel. I told you that we were going to reach the final so you could travel."

That promise added new context to Argentina's run through the tournament, which ultimately ended in a 1-0 extra-time loss to Spain in the final.

Messi described pushing his body past its physical limits in an effort to reach that final for his father's sake, even as his condition worsened.

"I wanted to win it to take the trophy and show you a new one," Messi wrote. "I couldn't, my legs couldn't take it anymore. This time I tried to go against my physique, but I couldn't. I could never feel good."

Messi's father was dealing with health issues during the World Cup. -Credit:2022 Jean Catuffe

Messi also described the emotional toll of playing through the tournament while his father's condition deteriorated from afar.

"Every time a game ended, I expected and missed your message. That's when I realized that the situation was real," he wrote. He revealed that by the time he returned home following the final, his father's memory of events had already begun to fade. "When I arrived you thought we had lost the final on penalties. We couldn't talk about anything that happened."

Messi went on to describe his father as "a father, a friend and a manager," closing his message with a promise to carry forward the values Jorge instilled in him.

"I am going to miss you a lot, but you will always be present, and especially in the education of my children, because I teach them and educate them as you did with me," Messi wrote. "Rest in peace and take care of us from above as you did here. Thank you for everything. I love you, pa."

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”