"Can I Keep Playing Football?"…Ronaldo Comforts Messi Over His Heartfelt Tribute to Late Father

Lionel Messi has expressed his profound grief in a heartfelt written tribute to his late father.

His message also appeared to hint at retirement.

Meanwhile, his lifelong rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, reached out to comfort Messi.

Following the passing of his father and agent, Jorge Messi, on August 8, a deeply grieving Lionel Messi shared his feelings in a social media post last night (August 12).

"I still cannot believe that my father is gone," he wrote, adding, "I don't know how I can continue playing football from now on," hinting at the possibility of retirement. He also expressed deep sorrow, sharing that while he fought to play even one more match for his father—who was battling illness during the World Cup—his legs could no longer hold out.

As the global football community united in mourning, his lifelong rival Ronaldo also shared in the grief, stating, "I send my sincerest condolences to Messi and his family."

Having returned to Miami after the funeral, Messi came on as a second-half substitute amidst comforting cheers from fans, but could not prevent his team's defeat and elimination from the cup tournament.

(Video Editing: Park Jung-sam, Design: Seo Hyun-jung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.