In one of the most painful moments of his life, Lionel Messi received support from his eternal rival this Wednesday: Cristiano Ronaldo left a condolence message on Instagram following the heartfelt letter that the Argentine star dedicated to his deceased father.
Messi posted a heartfelt farewell to Jorge Messi, who passed away last Saturday at the age of 68 at the Centro Sanatorio in Rosario.
Among the thousands of comments that came in just minutes, Cristiano's stood out. The Portuguese wrote: "A big hug to you and yours during these tough times, Leo. Stay strong."
The gesture did not go unnoticed. Ronaldo's message to Messi became the most liked comment of the entire post, with over one million likes and 14,136 responses, far surpassing the rest.
David Beckham, co-owner of Inter Miami and close friend of Messi, also joined in: "We're with you and your family, Leo, always @leomessi." Neymar also commented saying, "Sending a lot of strength to you and your family. Big hug."
Messi's letter shook the sports world not only for its emotion but also for a confession that left the future of the 39-year-old star hanging in the balance. "I don't know what I'm going to do without you, I don't know how to go on. I only played football, and now I have quite a few doubts about whether I will continue doing it for much longer," he wrote.
In the post, Messi said goodbye to his father with words that sum up a lifetime together: "You were a dad, a friend, and a representative. You were always the person you needed to be at every moment, and you never made a mistake."
Jorge Messi was unable to attend his son's last World Cup —the first time he missed a tournament— due to his declining health. Argentina reached the final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where they lost to Spain 1-0 in extra time. He passed away just three weeks later.
The post accumulated over 9 million likes, nearly 500 thousand comments, and 470,000 shares in just a few hours. Messi also expressed his gratitude in a story: "I want to sincerely thank you all for the love, respect, and immense consideration you have shown to me and my family during this painful time."
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