# Messi returns after father’s death, gets hug from opponent 2026-08-13T04:40:52+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Lionel Messi returned to the pitch just four days after his father Jorge died aged 68, coming on as a halftime substitute for Inter Miami in a Leagues Cup match against Club León. The Argentine received an impromptu hug from León defender Jhohan Romana, a gesture the Mexican club said was "from everyone, from soccer" for Messi. Earlier, Messi had posted on Instagram that he was unsure about continuing his career: "All I ever did was play soccer, and now I have serious doubts." Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo also sent emotional messages, reports sports.ndtv.com. Miami lost 3-2 and were eliminated from the competition. Jorge Messi had been his son's agent and managed his affairs from the start of his career. ## Coverage - sports.ndtv.com - indiatoday.in Tags: condolences, Cristiano Ronaldo, football, Jorge Messi death, Lionel Messi, Neymar Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/neymar-ronaldo-send-emotional-messages-to-messi-after-fathers-death/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/neymar-ronaldo-send-emotional-messages-to-messi-after-fathers-death/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.