(FILES) Barcelona's Argentinian forward Lionel Messi reacts after winning the Ballon d'Or France Football 2019 trophy at the Chatelet Theatre in Paris on December 2, 2019. Argentina superstar Lionel Messi said on August 12, 2026 he has "serious doubts" about continuing to play football for "much longer" after the death of his father Jorge Messi. "I don't know what I'll do without you, I don't know how to go on. I just played football, and now I have serious doubts about continuing to do so for much longer," Messi, 39, wrote in a message on social media after his father, who was also his agent, died last week aged 68. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP via Getty Images)