Lionel Messi has no timetable for returning to Inter Miami, with the Argentine choosing to stay in Rosario with his family in the days after burying his father, Jorge, ONE reports.
Jorge Messi, who was also his son's long-time agent, died on Saturday, August 8, at the age of 68 following a lengthy illness that had been kept largely private among close relatives.
According to ONE, Lionel landed in Argentina on Saturday evening aboard a private jet that flew from Fort Lauderdale to the Islas Malvinas airport in Fisherton, before heading to a private cemetery in Pres, on the outskirts of Rosario.
The farewell ceremony was held behind closed doors at El Prado cemetery on Sunday, with only close family and friends in attendance. Other outlets, including ESPN and Goal, report that Messi's wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, their children, and his mother, Celia Cuccittini, along with siblings Matías, Rodrigo and María Sol, were also present.
The Argentine Football Association and the national team's coaching staff sent flowers to the funeral, and messages of support, including "Be strong, Leo," were left by well-wishers at the cemetery gates, ONE reports.
By Sunday afternoon, Messi had left the cemetery and travelled to his family's gated residential complex in Ponce, in the Kentucky neighbourhood of Rosario, where he has remained with relatives rather than fly back to Florida.
Before the tragedy, there had been genuine debate over when Messi would rejoin Inter Miami following Argentina's World Cup campaign. Wednesday's Leagues Cup match against Club León, Saturday's MLS fixture at home to Nashville SC, and the August 19 meeting with Philadelphia Union had all been floated as possible comeback points, per ESPN.
That planning has now been overtaken by events. Mundo Albiceleste and other outlets report that Messi is taking an indefinite break from the club, with no return date set as he stays close to his mother and siblings in Rosario.
Inter Miami have not publicly pushed for a timeline, and coach Javier Mascherano's staff are expected to give their captain as much space as he needs before he resumes full training in South Florida.
