Messi’s Final World Cup: Playing for His Father
Lionel Messi played at the 2026 World Cup knowing that his father, Jorge Messi, was in the final stages of a serious illness. Just weeks later, Jorge would pass away at the age of 68. For Messi, it added an incredibly personal layer to what was already the final chapter of his extraordinary World Cup story.But Messi’s relationship with the World Cup goes back two decades. From his first appearance as a teenager in 2006, through the heartbreak of 2014 and the disappointment of 2018, to finally lifting the trophy in Qatar in 2022, every tournament became another chapter in his complicated love…
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