Lionel Messi has admitted he is “not sure” how much longer he will play football after the passing of his father.
Messi’s father, Jorge, died at the age of 68 last week after battling with a long illness.
Jorge was highly influential in Messi’s career, having also been his agent since the Argentinian was 14, overseeing his rise into arguably the greatest footballer of all time.
In an emotional tribute, Messi said he didn’t know how to “carry on” playing without his father, which could spell retirement for the 39-year-old.
"I don't know what I'm going to do without you," Messi wrote on Instagram.
"I don't know how to carry on. I used to just play football, and now I'm really not sure if I'll 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?"
Messi guided Argentina to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar but was unable to emulate that achievement this summer, with La Albiceleste succumbing to an extra-time defeat to Spain in the final.
This was expected to be the end of the road for Messi’s international career, with manager Lionel Scaloni casting further doubt on his future with Argentina in a tearful post-final press conference.
Messi was still set to continue playing club football with Inter Miami for some years, having penned a contract extension with the MLS club until 2028 last autumn.
But as the Argentine superstar mourns the loss of his father, it remains to be seen whether Messi will choose to prolong his playing career any further.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner returned home with his family after Jorge passed away in a hospital in his hometown of Rosario, Argentina.
He missed Inter Miami’s defeat to Monterrey, during which his team-mates wore black armbands and Rodrigo De Paul paid tribute with his goal celebration.
A private funeral took place on Sunday at a cemetery in the town of Perez, on the outskirts of Rosario.
Messi’s tribute continued: "Dad, I still can't believe you're gone. It hasn't sunk in, or rather, I don't want it to.
"It's so hard for me to imagine that I'll never see you again, that we'll never talk again. I know you were suffering and that this is for the best, but you left too soon. We still had so much left to enjoy together."
