Him crying after scoring his first goal, right when his dad’s condition got worse and rumours started to circulate. Him having to release a statement saying stop spreading lies to protect his family’s privacy.

Him holding onto the hope that the longer Argentina remained in the World Cup, the more likely his dad could travel to come watch them play in the final.

After every crazy game, him immediately waiting to hear from his dad after the match and realizing that there was a possibility his dad couldn’t make it.

Him having to play such physical games knowing that if they lose, his father won’t be able to come and watch a game live so he pushed through the pain.

Him crying after the Egypt game because (as most of the Argentine players said) he thought this would be it in the World Cup and that they’d get eliminated in the R16.

Him having to play in the final knowing his dad couldn’t make it but still wanting to win it so he could bring the trophy to him. Him sharing all of this with us because he never got to tell his dad.

Him saying that regardless of the defeat in the final, he enjoyed every match and was glad he listened to his father’s advice and played.

Dad, I still can’t believe you’re gone. It hasn’t sunk in, or rather, I don’t want it to. It’s so hard to imagine that I’ll never see you again, that we’ll never talk again. I know you were suffering and that this is for the best, but you left us too soon. We still had so much left to enjoy together.

You asked me so many times to play in one last World Cup, and just days before it started, that was when you got the worst. It was the first time you weren’t going to be there for a tournament, but Mom kept telling me you were going to get better and that you’d be well enough to travel. I told you we were going to make it to the final so you could come.

We made it to the final, and you couldn’t be there. I wanted to win it for you, to bring you another one and show it to you. I couldn’t. My legs had nothing left in them. This time I tried to push past what my body was telling me, but I couldn’t. I never felt right.

When I got home, you thought we had lost the final on penalties. We never got the chance to talk about any of what happened. You couldn’t enjoy any of it. We didn’t become champions, but you have no idea how much we enjoyed every single match. Once again, you were right: I had to be there and play it.

I don’t know what I’m going to do without you. I don’t know how to keep going. I only ever played football, and now I have more and more doubts about whether I’ll keep doing it for much longer. You were by my side from the very beginning, and there was so little left until the end. Why couldn’t you hold on just a little longer so we could finish it together?

I’m going to miss you so much, but you’ll always be with me, and especially in the way I raise my children, because I’m teaching and raising them the way you and Mom raised me.

Rest in peace, and watch over us from up there like you always did here. Thank you for everything.

wait, you're telling me SPAIN is racist??? that can't be... they're the good guys, the progressive europeans who defeated the evil southamericans

surely a country where romani people face systemic racism and police brutality can't be bad. surely a country where one of the most beloved streamers is on video gleefully saying the n word to a black man several times can't be bad.

And Julian

Lionel Messi at every World Cup from 2006 to 2026

The greatest to ever play the game has graced the World Cup for two decades. Having made his debut at just 18, he now makes an unprecedented sixth World Cup appearance at the age of 38, four years after finally becoming a World Cup winner.

He is the first player to play in six World Cups.