Lionel Messi has admitted he is 'not sure' how much longer he will play football after the passing of his father, Jorge, who died last week at the age of 68 following a long illness.
In an emotional tribute on Instagram, the 39-year-old wrote: 'I don't know what I'm going to do without you. I don't know how to carry on. I used to just play football, and now I'm really not sure if I'll carry on doing it for much longer.'
Jorge was Messi's agent since the Argentinian was 14 and was highly influential in his career. Messi guided Argentina to the 2022 World Cup but lost this summer's final to Spain in extra time, which was expected to end his international career.
Messi had signed a contract extension with Inter Miami until 2028, but it remains to be seen whether he will prolong his playing career. He missed Inter Miami's defeat to Monterrey, and a private funeral took place on Sunday in Perez, near Rosario.