"I wanted to bring you the trophy, Dad" — Messi breaks down in a heartfelt letter to his late father

Lionel Messi has published a moving letter dedicated to his late father Jorge, revealing shocking details from his last World Cup campaign.

Details: "Dad, you kept asking me to play in one last World Cup... and just a few days before it started, your condition worsened," Messi wrote. "It was the first tournament where you weren't there with me. I kept telling you we would reach the final so you could come. We made it, but you weren't there. I wanted to win and bring you the trophy. I couldn't." Jorge Messi passed away in Rosario on August 7 at the age of 68 after a long illness.

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Leo confessed that after every World Cup match, he waited for a message from his father, and that's when he realized just how serious things were. "My legs simply stopped obeying me. I tried to squeeze more out of my body than it could give, but I never felt physically right," the Argentine added. In the final, his national team lost to Spain 0-1 in extra time, and Messi himself ended the tournament in tears.

The letter's closing lines sounded almost like a farewell: "We didn't become champions, Dad, but you can't imagine how much we enjoyed every match. You were right again: I had to be there and play, just like you always said." According to the press, Leo is seriously considering whether to continue his career without the man who guided him from the empty lots of Rosario to footballing immortality. Now, the 39-year-old forward remains in Argentina indefinitely, while Inter Miami held a minute's silence in memory of Jorge.

Reminder: Football takes a back seat. Real and Barcelona offer condolences to Messi after his father's passing