Lionel Messi is considering bringing down the curtain on his extraordinary football career.
It follows the death of his father, and long-term agent, Jorge Messi at the age of 68, and, although he is under contract at Inter Miami until 2028, he has expressed doubts about his willingness to continue playing for much longer.
Jorge Messi was a pivotal figure in his life and career, beyond being his father. He had been his agent since he was a teenager, and from his early days at Newell’s Old Boys in Argentina through his move to Spain and Barcelona, and subsequent emergence as one of the greatest footballers in history, Jorge remained one of the most important figures in his son’s life.
Despite failing health, it was Jorge who had persuaded Messi to play at the World Cup, and Messi continued partly in the hope that his father would recover sufficiently to watch him play in person. Unfortunately that was not to be and Jorge was unable to attend.
And there is also a logical footballing argument for retirement. Messi has now won virtually everything available to him — including the World Cup, Copa América, Champions League and eight Ballon d’Or awards. Even the gamble to move to America paid off when Inter Miami won the MLS Cup for the first time last season.
At 39, he has nothing left to prove. He remains capable of producing outstanding performances, but maintaining the physical demands of professional football becomes increasingly difficult with age.
And even if he retires now, he will do so as a rich man, and can continue to attract sponsorship and commercial deals for years to come.
Nevertheless, football has been central to Messi’s existence since he was a small boy, and getting his head about what life might look like when his career ends is something he must wrestle with in the coming months.
