Sometimes football reminds you that there are things far more important than the game. Lionel Messi went to a World Cup carrying something most of us could never understand. His father was sick, yet he still had to put on that Argentina shirt, step onto the pitch and perform while the world expected perfection from him. And during all of this, there were people sending him death threats. Now, he has lost his father. Just imagine the pain of knowing the person who stood beside you from the very beginning is no longer there. The world saw the goals and the glory. What it didn’t see was a son carrying the fear of losing his father while standing on the biggest stage in football. Today, he is simply a son grieving his father. My deepest condolences to Lionel Messi, his family and everyone who loved Jorge Messi. May he rest peacefully. 🕊️❤️ Football can wait. Humanity comes first.

🗣️ “My Champions League debut was against Barcelona’s MSN. Everyone was scared to tackle Messi, so I thought, ‘I’ll give it a go.’ 😂 His first touch sent me flying. That dribble is still all over YouTube, and I even changed my hairstyle so people wouldn’t recognize me.” 😭 — Alex Iwobi