Lionel Messi has taken an indefinite break from competitive football to return to Argentina following the death of his father, Jorge Messi. According to Spanish publication Marca, there is currently no fixed timeline for the Inter Miami captain to return to the United States.
Messi travelled to his hometown of Rosario on a private flight earlier this week to attend a private funeral with his family. The 39-year-old forward had been in South Florida preparing for Inter Miami’s upcoming Leagues Cup fixture against Monterrey when he received news of his father’s death on Friday.
Inter Miami has given Messi its full support and granted him an unconditional leave of absence, allowing him to stay in Argentina for as long as he feels necessary before returning to the squad. Consequently, the club has not set a possible return date.
The death of Jorge Messi represents a major personal loss for the World Cup-winning footballer. In addition to being his father, Jorge was Messi’s main manager, representative and adviser from the early stages of his career in Rosario through his rise to the top of world football.
Messi’s season has been interrupted just as he was returning to peak physical condition. He had recently made his comeback with a two-goal display against Atletico San Luis in the Leagues Cup, but sporting matters have now been placed on hold.
His absence also interrupts a highly productive spell in North American football. Since joining Inter Miami in 2023, Messi has scored 92 goals in 107 appearances across Major League Soccer, Concacaf competitions, the Leagues Cup and domestic cup matches.
The figures give him a scoring rate of 0.86 goals per game, or one goal every 96.2 minutes since arriving in MLS. Across his entire career, Messi has now scored 921 goals, leaving him 79 short of reaching the 1,000-goal milestone.
For the moment, however, those career numbers have taken a back seat. Messi remains with his family in Rosario, and his return to Miami and availability for selection will depend entirely on when he feels ready to resume football.
