Jorge Messi, the father and longtime agent of Argentine soccer legend Lionel Messi, has died at age 68, according to Sanatorio Centro, the Rosario, Argentina medical center where he had been receiving care.
Dr. Carlos Mackey, the hospital's medical director, confirmed Jorge passed away early Saturday morning. Out of respect for the family, the hospital said no further details about his illness or cause of death would be released.
The loss comes just weeks after Jorge's declining health became part of the emotional backdrop of this year's World Cup. As JubileeCast previously reported, Lionel Messi broke the all-time men's World Cup scoring record against Austria in June while his father was undergoing treatment back home - a burden Messi carried quietly through the tournament, including visible tears after his opening goal against Algeria.
Jorge was far more than a soccer father. A former steelworker and chemical technician, he became his son's manager and agent, traveling with a teenage Lionel to Barcelona for the trial that opened the door to La Masia academy. Newell's Old Boys, the Rosario club where the family has deep roots, called him the one who "underpinned with vision, rigor and affection the career of the best player of all time," alongside his wife, Celia Cuccittini. He is also survived by his other children, Rodrigo, Matías, and María Sol.
The Messi family has long been rooted in the Catholic faith of Rosario, Argentina - the same faith Lionel has pointed to after nearly every major goal, including his record-breaking one in June, with his familiar glance and point toward the sky. As tributes pour in from across the football world, many are echoing that same posture: entrusting Jorge, and the family he leaves behind, to prayer.
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