Lionel Messi is mourning the loss of his father, who passed away a few days ago at the age of 68, touching hearts around the world.
The Argentine star has been dealing with this loss privately over the past few days, but today, in a touching post on his personal Instagram account, he bid a final farewell to the man who shaped his life.
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Specifically, in the post, he writes that he cannot believe his father has passed away, while also reflecting on the times he shared with him.
Here is what he wrote in full:
“Dad, I still can’t believe you’re gone. I’m not falling apart—or rather, I don’t want to fall apart. It’s very hard for me to imagine that I’ll never see you again and that we’ll never speak again. I knew you were suffering and that this was for the best, but you left us far too soon. We still had so much to experience and enjoy together.
You’d been begging me so much to play in the last World Cup, and just a few days before it started, that’s when your condition took a turn for the worse.
It was the first time you wouldn’t be with me at a tournament, but my mom kept telling me that you’d get better and that you’d be well enough to travel. I kept telling you that we’d make it all the way to the finals so you could come along.
Every time a match ended, I waited and waited for your message. That’s when I realized the situation was really very serious. And yet, I never stopped thinking that I had to go as far as possible to make you happy and so you could see at least one match.
We made it all the way to the final, and you couldn’t be there. I wanted to win it so I could dedicate the victory to you and give you a new moment to cherish. I didn’t make it—my legs just wouldn’t hold me anymore.
This time I tried to push past my body’s limits, but I couldn’t. I never really managed to feel good.
When I got there, you thought we’d lost the final on penalty kicks. We couldn’t talk about everything that had happened. You couldn’t enjoy a single moment. We didn’t become champions, but you have no idea how much we enjoyed every game. Once again, you were right: you had to be there to experience it.
I’m telling you all this because it was the only thing we didn’t get a chance to talk about; you already know everything else. We talked every day and met up whenever I could, in between my other commitments.
I don’t know what I’ll do without you; I don’t know how to go on. All I ever did was play soccer, and now I have a lot of doubts about whether I’ll keep doing it for much longer. I need more time. You were by my side from the very beginning; you were my rock the whole way, right to the end. Why couldn’t you have held on a little longer, so we could have finished this journey together?
I know that your happiness was being with your family—with your wife, your children—and, above all, not caring what others might say, just seeing us together…
You’ve always been like that, ever since I was little. You’d take me to all my practices right after you got off work. A lot of times Mom would take me because you were working.
Of course, you never missed a single game. How much you suffered watching me and how much you rejoiced with me, even though you never gave me many compliments.
You were my father, my friend, and my manager. You were always the person who had to be there at every moment, and you were never wrong about anything. Apart from the occasional scolding or argument, you were always right. In the end, though, I always ended up doing what you told me to do.
I’ll miss you so much, but you’ll always be with me—especially as I raise my children, because I’ll raise and educate them just as you did with me.
Rest in peace and watch over us from up there, just as you did here. Thank you for everything.
I love you, Dad.”
View this post on Instagram.
*photo source: AP
