Cristiano Ronaldo sends classy message to Lionel Messi as icon posts emotional message after father’s death

“Dad, I still can’t believe that you’ve gone. It hasn’t sunk in, or better said, I won’t let it sink in.

“It’s so hard to imagine that now I’m not going to see you anymore, that we’re not going to talk anymore. I know you were suffering and that this is for the best, but you went so soon. We still had so much left to enjoy together

“You kept asking me to play in this 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 Mum told me that you were going to get better and you’d be able to travel.

“Each time I finished a game, I’d wait for and miss your message. That’s when I realized the situation was truly dire. Even so, I kept thinking about going as far as possible to buy time so you could watch a 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 just never felt right.”

“When I got to you, you thought we had lost the final on penalties. We couldn’t talk about any of what had happened. You weren’t able to enjoy anything. We didn’t become champions, but you didn’t know how much we enjoyed each game. Once again you were right – I had to be there and play.

“I’m telling you this because it was the one thing we couldn’t talk about; you already know everything else. We spoke every day and saw each other whenever my commitments allowed.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do without you, I don’t know how to carry on. All I’ve ever done is play football and now I have so many doubts over whether I’m going to keep doing it for much longer. You were by my side from the start, and we were so close to the end. Why couldn’t you hold on just a little longer so we could finish it together?

“I know your happiness was in seeing your family doing well, your wife, your kids, and above all, without letting the others know, watching me play.

“Since I was a young boy it was always this way. You took me to every training session, right after getting home from work. Mum took me to many of them because you were working.

“Obviously you never missed a single match. How you suffered while watching me, and how you enjoyed it—even though you never lavished me with praise.

“You were my dad, my friend and my representative. You were always exactly who you needed to be in any given moment, and you never got it wrong. Beyond the odd argument or disagreement, you were always right; in the end, things always turned out just as you said they would.

“I’m going to miss you so much, but you will always be present, and above all in how I raise my kids, because I’ll raise them and teach them the way you did with me.

“Rest in peace and look after us from above  just as you did down here. Thank you for everything.

“I love you, Dad.”