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BUENOS AIRES/MIAMI: Lionel Messi made an emotional return Wednesday following his father’s death and hints at retirement, but it wasn’t enough for his Inter Miami side who were knocked out of the Leagues Cup in a 3-2 loss to Mexico’s Leon. The Miami captain flew back to Florida from Argentina on Tuesday night after attending his father’s funeral and came on at half-time to a massive ovation.
The Argentina captain, 39, attended the funeral of his father, Jorge, on Sunday.
Messi said he has “serious doubts” about continuing to play football for “much longer” after the death of his father Jorge, in an emotional tribute posted on social media Wednesday.
“I don’t know what I’ll do without you, I don’t know how to go on. I just played football, and now I have serious doubts about continuing to do so for much longer,” the Argentinian, 39, wrote.
Messi’s father, who was also his agent, died last week aged 68.
Miami led 1-0 but two goals from Colombian Daniel Arcila fueled Leon’s come-from-behind victory, which made them the first team to qualify for the quarter-finals of the tournament between MLS and LigaMx clubs.
Messi had made himself available to coach Guillermo Hoyos for Miami’s do-or-die attempt to advance in the Leagues Cup.
They were without Messi when they lost a second group stage match against Monterrey and needed a victory to have any hope of moving on.
It’s the first time Miami have been knocked out in the opening phase since the tournament’s expansion in 2023.
Miami won it all that year with Messi, shortly after he arrived at the Florida franchise alongside Spaniards Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
Miami reached the 2025 final but were thrashed 3-0 by the Seattle Sounders — a match marked by a brawl after the final whistle which led to Luis Suarez being suspended for all of this year’s tournament.
Messi, whose contract with Major League Soccer club Inter Miami runs until the end of the 2028 season, reflected on the final months of his father’s life, which coincided with the 2026 World Cup.
Jorge Messi’s absence from the World Cup in June had already attracted attention.
“You kept asking me to play in one last World Cup, yet just days before it started, your condition took a turn for the worse. It was the first time you wouldn’t be there for a tournament,” wrote Messi, who returned to the United States on Tuesday night following his father’s funeral on Sunday.
“I kept telling you we would reach the final so you could make the trip.
“Every time a match ended I waited for and missed your message. That’s when I realized the situation was really bad.
“We made it to the final, but 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 just gave out.”
“This time I tried to push past my physical limits, but I couldn’t. I never felt right,” Messi said of the 1-0 loss to Spain in the final in New Jersey.
Immediately after the World Cup final defeat against Spain, Messi returned to spend a few days with his family in Rosario, 340 km north of Buenos Aires.
Messi recalled that he noticed his father had not been able to enjoy the World Cup.
“When I arrived, you thought we had lost the final on penalties. We couldn’t talk about anything that had happened. You couldn’t enjoy any of it,” he said.
“We didn’t become champions, but you have no idea how much we enjoyed every match. Once again, you were right: I had to be there and play.”
‘Father, friend and agent’
Competing in his sixth World Cup, Messi scored eight goals as he steered his country to the final.
But Argentina could not emulate their 2022 success, when Messi inspired them to a third world title and first since 1986.
After bursting into tears after scoring against Algeria in a group match, Messi had admitted to dealing with “a situation outside of sports.”
On Sunday, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner bid farewell to his father during a private ceremony with close family and a few Argentina teammates in the town of Perez, adjacent to Rosario.
Local media reported that Jorge Messi had been suffering from cancer.
Messi highlighted his father’s pivotal role in his life and career: “You were a father, a friend, and an agent. You were always exactly who you needed to be in every moment, and you never put a foot wrong.”
Jorge was his first coach who accompanied him in 2000 when Barcelona invited the young prodigy, then aged 13, to Catalonia to continue treatment for a growth hormone deficiency while playing for the club’s youth teams.
Jorge left behind his job in Argentina, his wife, and his three other children to settle in Spain with Lionel.
His father was later the agent who negotiated contracts on his behalf, from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami.
“You were always like that, right from when I was little. You’d take me to every training session as soon as you got home from work,” Messi recalled.
“You never missed a single match. You suffered while watching me play, yet you enjoyed it too — even though you never lavished me with praise.
“Rest in peace, and watch over us from above just as you did down here. Thank you for everything.”
On Wednesday, Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo reached out to show his support for his great rival.
“A huge hug to you and yours in these tough times, Leo. Much strength,” replied Ronaldo, 41, to the Argentine’s message on Instagram.
