Lionel Messi has raised "serious doubts" over his footballing future in a touching tribute to his father, Jorge, who died last week.
In a post on Instagram, the Argentinian football star said: "I don't know what I'm going to do without you, I don't know how to go on.
"I just played football, and now I have serious doubts that I'll be able to keep doing it for much longer."
He also said: "Dad, I still can't believe you're gone. It hasn't sunk in, or rather, I don't want to. It's so 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 too soon. We still had so much to enjoy together."
Messi, considered by many to be the greatest player of all time, explained how Jorge Messi, 68, was at his worst in the days before the World Cup started.
The 39-year-old star described how he "realised the situation was truly bad" when after every match he "waited for and missed" a message from his father.
He went on to say how he wanted to push himself and win the tournament for his father but couldn't.
He wrote: "My legs just wouldn't take it anymore. This time, I tried to push myself against my body, but I couldn't. I could never feel good."
He said his father, who was also his agent, was the person he needed to be "in every moment" and was "never wrong about anything".
Messi finished up by saying: "Rest in peace and watch over us from above as you did here. Thank you for everything."
Jorge Messi, a chemical technician and steelworker, died at a medical clinic in the Argentine city of Rosario on Friday night after a long illness.
Read more:
Solar eclipse latest - rush for glasses
Fire spreads at important site - follow latest
As a player, he reached the youth ranks of Argentinian side Newell's Old Boys but his career was cut short by his mandatory military service.
He was a huge influence on his son's career, serving as both agent and business manager.
"My dad was always by my side," Messi said in a 2007 interview.
His father negotiated his contracts with FC Barcelona and later his transfers to Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami, while also managing the use of his famous son's image rights and his numerous investments in real estate, hotels, and restaurants.
Messi led Argentina to victory in the 2022 World Cup and this year's final, where they lost to Spain.
In the team's first match, against Algeria, he was visibly emotional after scoring the first of his three goals. He said later that he wept for "a reason unrelated to sports".
(c) Sky News 2026: Lionel Messi raises 'serious doubts' over his footballing future in touching tribute to fat
Sudan war: The UAE's role in this conflict is under increasing scrutiny - and so is Britain's
Siege of Palestinian homes in West Bank a 'horrific act of terror', says US ambassador
'Be very careful': FIFA VP warns those trying to oust Gianni Infantino
Putin sends Trump a gift - and will hope for something in return
Eurovision changes rules to prevent winners involved in 'armed conflict' from hosting
North Korea launches missile amid declaration it must possess capability to counter strikes that would make enemy 'survival impossible'
Donald Trump explains plane switch via catering container after Secret Service warned of Iran threat
Man airlifted to hospital after 'shark bite' off Irish coast
