Lionel Messi has shared a deeply emotional public tribute after the death of his father, Jorge, and suggested that his remarkable playing career may be approaching its final chapter. The Inter Miami superstar said he is uncertain how to continue in football without the man who stood by him from his earliest days in Rosario to his rise as a global icon.

Messi has cast fresh doubt over his football future after paying tribute to his father Jorge, who died last week at the age of 68. The Argentina legend posted a long open letter, reflecting on their close relationship and the huge emptiness left behind by his father's passing.

In one section that has shocked the football world, the 39-year-old suggested that his desire to keep playing may now be fading. Messi wrote: 'I don't know what I'm going to do without you, I don't know how to carry on. I only played football and now I have quite a few doubts about whether I'll keep 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 that little bit more so we could finish together?'

The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner also opened up about the personal pain of playing through the recent World Cup while his father's health was worsening. Messi said his main motivation for reaching the final was to give his father more time to recover and possibly travel, but Argentina eventually suffered a 1-0 defeat to Spain and were unable to defend the title they had won in 2022.

Despite Messi's efforts on the pitch, he admitted that he had reached his physical limit by the end of the tournament. 'You asked me so much to play in the last World Cup, and it was in the days just before it started that you got the worst. It was the first time you weren't going to be at a tournament, but Mum told me that you were going to get better and that you'd be well enough to travel. I told you we were going to reach the final so you could travel. Every time a match ended, I waited for and missed your message. That's when I realised the situation was really bad.'

Messi added: 'Even so, I didn't stop thinking about going as far as possible, to buy you time and so you could see a match. We reached the final and you couldn't be there. I wanted to win it to bring it to you and show you a new one. I couldn't: my legs wouldn't give any more. This time I tried to go against my body, but I couldn't. I never managed to feel good. When I arrived, you thought we had lost the final on penalties. We couldn't talk about anything that happened. You couldn't enjoy anything. We weren't champions, but you have no idea how much we enjoyed every single match. Once again, you were right: I had to be there and play it.'

Jorge Messi was far more than a father figure; he was the driving force behind Lionel's career and famously helped secure the move that took his son to Barcelona as a teenager. The senior Messi persuaded the Catalan club to pay for costly growth hormone treatment, with the first agreement famously being written on a paper napkin.

Messi went on to praise the many roles his father played in his life, describing him as a guide who was almost never wrong. He said: 'For many of them Mum took me because you were working. Obviously you never missed a single match. How you suffered watching me and how you enjoyed it, even though you never gave me many compliments. You were dad, friend and representative. You were always the person you needed to be in every moment and you never got anything wrong. Beyond a few reproaches or arguments, you were always right. In the end it always turned out the way you said.'

The football community has come together in support of Messi, with both rivals and team-mates sending condolences. Cristiano Ronaldo was among those to pay tribute, writing: 'A huge hug to you and yours in these tough times, Leo. Much strength.' Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham also offered support, saying: 'We stand with you and your family, Leo – always.'

In the closing lines of his heartbreaking message, Messi vowed to carry forward his father's values in the way he raises his own children. He concluded: 'I'm going to miss you a lot, but you'll always be present, and especially in the upbringing of my children, because I teach them and raise them the way you both did with me. Rest in peace and look after us from above the way you did down here. Thank you for everything.'