Jorge Messi, the father of Argentina captain Lionel Messi, has died at the age of 68, according to numerous outlets in Argentina and Spain.
The patriarch of the Messi family died in his hometown of Rosario in Argentina on Friday night at around 22.00 local time.
Jorge Messi battled illness for a long time, which was the topic of various reports during the World Cup, where Argentina lost 1-0 to Spain in the final.
During the competition, former Argentina teammate Juan Pablo Sorin, who is now a pundit in retirement, questioned Messi about his crying displays of emotion.
“Tears for the family, for your family, and for this other family that is the National Team, right?” Sorin asked.
“Yes, yes… The truth is that for the family, more than anything. Because, well, it’s always there; it’s always there. Now we are in a difficult moment. So many things came together, but obviously also because of them – a spectacular group that supports me – it makes me happy,” Messi answered.
Days after this exchange, the family released a statement and clarified that Jorge had been “under medical monitoring, recovering and evolving favourably within the condition he presents”.
Ultimately, however, Jorge has passed away, leaving behind his wife Cecila, sons Lionel, Rodrigo, and Matias, daughter Maria Sol, and a number of grandchildren.
Jorge is a key and eternal figure in FC Barcelona history.
A major player in his son’s rise to become arguably the greatest player of all time, Jorge Messi is arguably one of the most important figures in FC Barcelona history.
By the turn of the century, his son had already enrolled in Newell’s Old Boys Academy. However, it was Jorge who accepted the risk of going to Europe since neither that club nor River Plate was willing to pay for Lionel’s necessary growth treatment.
On December 14, 2000, at the Pompeia Tennis Club, an agreement to sign for Barcelona was famously signed on a napkin with then-sporting director Carles Rexach.
Lionel then joined La Masia and went on to become FC Barcelona’s greatest player of all time, if not the best in the sport, with 672 goals in 778 games.
