Leo Messi releases first statement since passing of father Jorge

Jorge Messi passed away at the age of 68 on Saturday.

On Saturday evening, Messi and his family flew to Argentina, before a funeral took place in Perez, Rosario on Sunday.

Messi did not feature in Inter Miami's Leagues Cup match against Monterrey, a game in which they lost 2-1, with a minute's silence held prior to the match and the players wearing black armbands.

The 39-year-old has now wrote a lengthy tribute to his father on Instagram:

"Dad, I still can't believe you're gone," Messi wrote on the social media app. "It hasn't sunk in - or rather, I don't *want* it to sink in.

"It's so hard to imagine that I won't see you anymore, that we won't talk again. I know you were suffering and that this is for the best, but you left too soon. We still had so much left to enjoy together.

"You kept asking me to play in that last World Cup, but just days before it started, your condition took a turn for the worse. It was the first time you wouldn't be at a tournament, but Mom kept telling me you'd improve and be well enough to travel. I kept telling you we'd make it to the final so you could come.

"After every match, I'd wait for your message and miss hearing from you. That's when I realised how serious the situation really was. Even so, I kept thinking about going as far as possible - to buy you time so you could see at least one game. We made it to the final, but you couldn't be there.

"I wanted to win it so I could bring it to you and show you a new trophy. I couldn't do it; my legs just gave out. This time I tried to push past my physical limits, but I couldn't. I never felt right.

"When I got back, you thought we'd lost the final on penalties. We didn't get to talk about any of it. You didn't get to 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.

"I'm telling you this because it was the one thing we didn't get to talk about - you already know everything else. We spoke every day and saw each other whenever my commitments allowed."