Lionel Messi shares heartfelt message to late father: 'I still can't believe you're gone'

Argentine football star Lionel Messi posted an emotional message to his late father, expressing profound sadness and pain over his loss.

Messi wrote on his official Instagram account: "Dad, I still can't believe you're gone. I can't grasp it, or maybe I just don't want to. It's hard for me to imagine never seeing you again, that we won't talk anymore. I know you were suffering and that this is for the best, but you left too soon. We still had so much to enjoy together."

He added: "You kept urging me to play in the last World Cup, and just days before it started, your health declined. It was the first time you wouldn't be at a tournament I played in, but Mom kept reassuring me that you'd get better and be well enough to travel. I told you we'd reach the final so you could be there."

Messi continued: "After every match, I waited for your message. That's when I realized how bad things were, and I couldn't stop thinking about going as far as possible to give you more time to watch the games. We made it to the final, but you couldn't be there. I wanted to win it for you, but I couldn't. This time I tried to push my body, but I just couldn't. I never felt at ease."