Cristiano Ronaldo sends message of support to Lionel Messi after death of father Jorge
Cristiano Ronaldo has set aside one of football’s most famous rivalries to send a heartfelt message of support to Lionel Messi after the Argentine forward broke his silence following the death of his father, Jorge Messi, who passed away last week at the age of 68 after a long illness.
Messi shared a deeply emotional statement on Instagram on August 12, 2026, his first public words since his father’s death was confirmed. Ronaldo responded in the comments with a touching message:
“A huge hug for you and yours in these tough moments, Leo. Strength and courage.”
Messi’s heartbreaking tribute
In a lengthy letter addressed directly to his father, Messi opened with an emotional confession.
“Dad, I still can’t believe you’re gone. It hasn’t sunk in, or rather, I don’t want it to sink in. It’s very hard for me to imagine that I won’t see you anymore, that we won’t talk anymore. I know you were suffering and that it’s for the best, but you left way too soon. We still had so much left to enjoy together.”
The Argentina captain revealed that his father’s condition deteriorated significantly just before the World Cup, a tournament Jorge had desperately wanted to attend.
“You asked me so much to play in this last World Cup, and a few days before it started was when you got worse. It was the first time you weren’t going to be at a tournament, but Mom kept telling me you were going to get better and that you’d be well enough to travel. I kept telling you we were going to reach the final so you could make the trip.”
Messi admitted that the silence after matches was when he realised how serious the situation had become.
“Every time a match ended, I would wait for and miss your message. That was when I realised how bad things really were. Even so, I couldn’t stop thinking about getting as far as possible, just to buy you time so you could see a match. 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 through the physical pain, but I couldn’t. I was never able to feel good physically.”
He also shared the painful detail that, by the time he returned home, his father believed Argentina had lost the final on penalties.
“When I arrived home, you thought we had lost the final on penalties. We couldn’t talk about anything that happened. You couldn’t enjoy any of it. We didn’t become champions, but you have no idea how much we enjoyed every match. Once again, you were right: I needed to be there and play it.”
Messi explained that he was writing these thoughts because it was the one conversation they never had the chance to finish.
“I’m telling you this because it was the only thing we couldn’t talk about, since you already know everything else. We talked every day, and we saw each other whenever my commitments allowed.”
Doubts about football’s future
Perhaps the most striking part of the statement was Messi’s admission that his father’s death had left him questioning his own future in football.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do without you; I don’t know how to move forward. I only played football, and now I have serious doubts that I’ll keep doing it for much longer. You were by my side from the very beginning, and we were so close to the end. Why couldn’t you hold on just a little longer so we could finish together?”
He then reflected on what had brought his father the greatest happiness.
“I know your happiness was seeing your family doing well — your wife, your children — and, above all (without the others finding out), watching me play...”
Messi recalled his childhood in Rosario, where Jorge would take him to training sessions after work and never miss a match.
“It was always like that ever since I was a little kid. You would take me to every training session right after getting home from work. Mom took me to a lot of them too because you were working.”
“Naturally, you never missed a single match. How you suffered watching me and how you enjoyed it, even if you were never one to shower me with praise.”
He described Jorge as far more than simply a parent.
“You were a father, a friend, and an agent. You were always the person you needed to be in every moment, and you were never wrong about anything. Beyond a few arguments or disagreements, you were always right. In the end, things always turned out just as you said they would.”
Messi promised that his father’s influence would continue through the way he raises his own children.
“I’m going to miss you so much, but you will always be present, especially in how I raise my kids, because I teach and educate them the same way you both raised me.”
He ended the tribute with a final farewell:
“Rest in peace, and look after us from above just as you did down here. Thank you for everything.”
“I love you, Dad.”
The man behind Messi’s rise
Jorge Messi was a lifelong supporter of Newell’s Old Boys, the club Lionel joined when he was seven years old. After Barcelona signed the 13-year-old Messi in 2001, the family moved to Spain. While Messi’s mother and siblings later returned to Rosario, Jorge remained in Barcelona and became a constant presence throughout his son’s career, serving as his agent from the age of 14.
Newell’s Old Boys were among the clubs to pay tribute, describing Jorge as “the pillar” behind Messi’s extraordinary journey alongside his wife, Celia Cuccittini.
The club wrote that his “constant companionship and behind-the-scenes leadership were essential in backing every step of Lionel, from his beginnings at Malvinas to the pinnacle of world football glory.”
In a moment that has resonated across the football world, Ronaldo’s message of support stood as a reminder that, beyond trophies, records and rivalries, football’s greatest stars can still come together in the face of personal loss.