Leo Messi has written an emotional message four days after his father Jorge Messi died of illness at age 68. These are his first public words since then, taking a break from his work at Inter Miami shortly after returning to action from his break after World Cup.
In the letter shared on Instagram, he explains that his health worsened right before Leo Messi went to the US to play World Cup, a competition his father had insisted he should participate. "Mom kept telling me you'd be better and that you'd be well enough to travel. I kept telling you we were going to make it to the final so you could go".
"I wanted to win it, take it to you, and show you a new one. I couldn't; my legs just wouldn't take it anymore. This time, I tried to push myself against my physical limitations, but I couldn't. I was never able to feel good."
As implied by the letter, when he returned, his health had deteriorated to the point he thought that they had lost the final on penalties. "We couldn't talk about anything that had happened. You couldn't enjoy it at all."
Messi also says he "seriously doubts he will be able to play for much longer" without him. "I don't know what I'm going to do without you, I don't know how to go on. I just played football, and now I seriously doubt I'll be able to keep doing that for much longer. You were by my side from the beginning; we were just a little ways from the end. Why not hold on for that little bit longer and we could have finished it together?"
"You were a father, a friend, and a representative. You were always the person you needed to be in every situation, and you were never wrong about anything. Despite some disagreements or arguments, you were always right. In the end, things always turned out the way you said.
"I will miss you dearly, but you will always be with me, especially in my children's upbringing, because I teach and raise them just as you did with me. Rest in peace and watch over us from above as you always did. Thank you for everything."
