Lionel Messi has expressed uncertainty about his future in football following the death of his father and long-time agent, Jorge Messi, who died last week at the age of 68 after a long illness. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner shared an emotional tribute on social media and said he was unsure whether he would continue playing for much longer. Jorge had been the Argentina forward's agent since Messi was 14 and watched his son become one of football's greatest-ever players. Messi wrote: "I don't know what I'm going to do without you. I used to just play football, and now I'm really not sure if I'll carry on doing it for much longer." He also asked why his father could not "hang in there just a little longer so we could finish this together." The loss has shed light on the difficult circumstances Messi faced during the 2026 World Cup, when he captained Argentina to the final before their 1-0 defeat by Spain. Messi said his father's condition worsened just days before the tournament began. It was the first time Jorge had not been present at one of his son's tournaments. Messi played eight games at the tournament, scoring eight goals and providing four assists. He said he tried to push beyond his physical limits to win the trophy for his father, but his "legs had nothing left." During the competition, Messi was reduced to tears after scoring the opening goal in Argentina's 3-0 victory over Algeria, saying the reason was "completely unrelated to football." His family later said Jorge was dealing with a health-related situation. Jorge died in a hospital in his hometown of Rosario, Argentina, and Messi then returned there with his family. A private funeral took place on Sunday at a cemetery in Perez, on the outskirts of Rosario. Messi's family moved to Spain in February 2001 after Barcelona signed him at the age of 13. His mother and three siblings soon returned to Rosario, while Jorge stayed with him. Messi scored a record 672 goals in 778 games for Barcelona, helping the club win four Champions League titles and 10 La Liga championships. He joined Paris St-Germain in August 2021 before moving to Inter Miami in July 2023. His contract with the Major League Soccer club runs until 2028. For Argentina, he has scored 125 goals in 207 appearances and provided 46 assists. Cristiano Ronaldo sent Messi a message of condolence, wishing strength to him and his family during the difficult period. Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham also said they would always stand with Messi and his family. Somali supporters following Messi and Inter Miami will watch his coming appearances with new weight attached to every match and every comment after he publicly questioned how much longer he will continue playing.