Lionel Messi retires from football indefinitelyto be close to his family at this extremely difficult time.
The football legend has decided to temporarily retire from his sporting commitments after the sudden death of his father and long-time manager Jorge Messi, world sports media report.
The 39-year-old Argentine is devastated by the heavy loss. He immediately changed his plans and flew by private jet from the United States to arrive in his hometown of Rosario. Messi, accompanied by his wife Antonella Roccuzzo and their children, attended his father's private funeral, which took place on Sunday at the “El Prado“ cemetery in the nearby city of Perez. At the moment, there is no official clarity on exactly when the striker will find the strength to return to Florida and resume training with his club.
Jorge Messi died at the age of 68 in a clinic in Rosario after a long and difficult battle with an insidious disease. His health problems were the subject of serious attention during the World Cup in the summer of 2026, when he was unable to attend the stands. At that time, Leo Messi himself could not hold back his tears on the pitch after a goal against Algeria, later admitting that he was going through difficult days for personal reasons, outside of football.
Jorge's influence on the career of the eight-time winner of the “Golden Ball“ is irreplaceable. He was the man who first discovered his son's talent in the neighborhood team “Grandoli“, and in 2000 he made the huge sacrifice of emigrating with the then 13-year-old Leo to Spain so that the boy could undergo treatment and play in the Barcelona academy. Over the years, Jorge Messi acted as his main agent, negotiating his historic contracts with the Catalans, Paris Saint-Germain and his current club Inter Miami.
The entire football world has expressed condolences to the great star. His club Inter Miami held a minute of silence during their last match and played with black armbands - a gesture that was ordered by the Argentine Football Association for all official matches in the country. Messi's current team has already announced that they will give him as much time for recovery and solitude as he needs.