Politics
Lionel Messi’s father, Jorge, dies at 68 after prolonged illness
Jorge Messi, the father and longtime representative of football superstar Lionel Messi, has died at the age of 68 in Rosario, Argentina, after a prolonged illness.
Messi’s family confirmed to Reuters on Saturday that Jorge died Friday night at a medical clinic in Rosario, where he had been receiving treatment.
According to the family, Jorge spent his final months moving between a medical centre in Rosario and his home, where he was accompanied by his wife, Celia, and their children, Rodrigo, Matías and María Sol.
Lionel Messi, who spent time with his father following the 2026 FIFA World Cup, had returned to the United States and resumed action for Inter Miami about a week before Jorge’s death.
The precise nature of his father’s illness has not been publicly disclosed by the family.
Concern over Jorge’s health became public during the 2026 World Cup after Lionel Messi was visibly emotional during Argentina’s opening match against Algeria.
Messi scored a hat-trick in the match but broke down in tears while celebrating his first goal.
The emotional moment immediately attracted attention, prompting questions about whether something outside football was affecting the Argentina captain.
Messi later explained that his tears were unrelated to the match and came after he had experienced “a few difficult, complicated days.”
Days later, the Messi family issued a statement confirming that Jorge was undergoing medical treatment and appealed for respect and restraint over reports concerning his condition.
The family did not disclose his diagnosis.
Jorge’s health subsequently became the subject of speculation and false reports on social media, including claims about his death while he was still receiving treatment. The family pushed back against the rumours and maintained its request for privacy.
His death on Friday is the first confirmation from the family that Jorge had died.
Beyond being Lionel Messi’s father, Jorge was one of the most influential people behind the footballer’s extraordinary career.
He was his son’s longtime representative from his childhood in Rosario from a talented child with a medical challenge and accompanied him when the young footballer moved to Spain to pursue his dream at Barcelona to his emergence as Argentina’s captain and World Cup winner.
The younger Messi was born in Rosario in 1987 and began playing football as a child before joining Newell’s Old Boys.
At 13, he moved to Spain with his family after Barcelona agreed to take him into its famed La Masia academy, before making his senior-team debut, where he won multiple LaLiga titles, UEFA Champions League trophies, and established himself as one of the greatest players in football history.
His family faced the enormous challenge of relocating to another country so that their son could pursue his football career, while he was also undergoing treatment for a growth hormone deficiency.
Messi eventually made his first-team debut for Barcelona in 2004 and went on to become the club’s all-time leading scorer and one of its most decorated players.
His career included an unprecedented run of success at Barcelona, where he won multiple titles and established himself as one of the defining players of his generation.
He later moved to Paris Saint-Germain before joining Inter Miami in Major League Soccer.
With Argentina, Messi eventually reached the pinnacle of international football by leading the country to victory at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Throughout that journey, Jorge remained closely involved in negotiations, contracts and other professional decisions surrounding his son’s career.
The relationship between father and son was also frequently visible during major football moments, with Jorge often seen supporting his son from the stands and celebrating his feats.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.