Lionel Messi's tears at the World Cup are understood to have been linked to his father suffering from health problems.
Messi's dad, Jorge, who manages his son's vast commercial interests and acts as his agent, has been battling significant health issues for several months.
Messi broke down on the pitch in Kansas City after netting three times in Argentina's 3-0 victory over Algeria during their tournament opener.
The footballer shares an exceptionally close bond with his father, who has overseen the building of his multi-million dollar business empire away from the sport.
Argentine media outlets reported the connection between Messi's rare public display of emotion and his father's condition shortly after the match.
Journalist Eduardo Feinmann shared the reason behind Messi's distress during a broadcast on Radio Mitre, one of Argentina's most popular stations.
"This has to do with his father. His father is not in good health," Feinmann said.
"For quite some time now, several months, since last year.
"And this week, there were some situations that slightly worsened his health, and Messi is going through this internal struggle. In other words, like any human being."
Reports indicate that Jorge experienced a "medical episode" at his house in January, which resulted in him being hospitalised.
Following that incident, he reportedly underwent both cardiovascular and neurological examinations, though the family has not publicly confirmed any diagnosis.
When speaking to reporters after the match, Messi acknowledged he had been struggling without revealing the specific cause.
When asked about his emotions, the Argentine said: "No, honestly it's something completely unrelated to sports. It's been a few difficult days, complicated."
The Argentine captain expressed his appreciation for those around him during this challenging period.
He explained: "I had some difficult, complicated days, but I'm grateful to the entire delegation, to all my teammates because they were always by my side, as always, giving me a lot of strength to be okay, and that's all."
Messi chose to focus on the positive aspects of the evening, describing his experience as "amazing".
His three goals saw him draw level with Germany's Miroslav Klose at the summit of the all-time World Cup scoring charts, both players now sharing the record with 16 goals.
Messi said: "Like I say, everything I'm experiencing now is amazing.
"I was lucky enough to achieve all my dreams, at a level, or even more, than I could have reached individually and as part of a team."
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