Lionel Messi's Father Jorge Passes Away at 68 Following Illness That Moved the Star to Tears at the World Cup

LIONEL MESSI’S father Jorge has died aged 68 after a long illness.

Reports in Argentina suggest that Jorge passed away at around 10pm yesterday at a clinic in Rosario, where he had been receiving medical treatment.

Lionel Messi in his younger days with his brother Rodrigo, sister María Sol, father Jorge, mother Celia, nephew Tomás and brother Matías Credit: Getty Messi’s parents have been one of his main sources of inspiration throughout his unbelievable career Credit: Instagram/ jorge.sole

The news will come as a devastating blow to Messi, who has always maintained a close relationship with his father and agent.

Jorge played a huge role in his unprecedented career, guiding him from his childhood days at Newell’s Old Boys to becoming the greatest player in history.

He was the driving force behind getting Lionel the growth hormone treatment he needed as a youngster after the family struggled to secure the necessary support in .

When offered Messi the chance to move to Spain as a 13-year-old, Jorge stayed with his son as he began his remarkable journey at the Catalan giants.

The pair endured difficult early days as Lionel adjusted to life away from his family and fought to establish himself at one of the world’s biggest clubs.

Messi later recalled the sacrifices they made together, saying: “My dad was always by my side. We went through a lot of bad things.”

“My dad asked me what I wanted to do, did I want to keep going or should we go back? I wanted to keep going and he stayed with me.”

Messi alongside his parents and wife Antonela Roccuzzo Credit: Instagram/jorge.sole

Jorge remained at his son’s side as Messi’s career exploded, eventually taking responsibility for his commercial negotiations and becoming a key figure behind the global Messi brand.

The relationship between father and son was not simply professional, with Jorge remaining a central figure in the Messi family – regularly accompanying Lionel during major moments in his career.

He also had football ambitions of his own, having played as a midfielder in the Newell’s youth system before being called up for military service.

Jorge later worked at the Acindar factory, rising to become a manager before his son’s extraordinary rise transformed the family’s life.

The provided a recent glimpse into the difficult period surrounding the Messi family.

After scoring in Argentina’s opening match against Algeria, Messi was visibly emotional and later explained that his tears were linked to matters away from football.

He said: “It’s for a reason completely unrelated to sports; I’ve had some difficult, complicated days. I’m grateful to the entire team, as always, for being by my side.”

Asked about his family, Messi later added: “The truth is, it’s mostly for my family. Because, well, they’re always there, always supporting me. We’re going through a difficult time right now.”

Messi’s father greeted him during the greatest moment of his career – winning the World Cup at Qatar 2022 Credit: Alamy Jorge holds his son’s World Cup Player of the Tournament award in 2022 – the second of his career that he won Credit: Getty

The Messi family subsequently said Jorge was “under medical supervision, recovering and progressing favorably within the context of his condition.”

Jorge’s influence stretched far beyond helping Lionel become a professional footballer, with the pair remaining closely connected throughout his son’s trophy-filled career.

Messi is the most decorated footballer of all-time, with 47 team trophies to his name – not to mention his individual honours including EIGHT ‘s.

From those uncertain days at Newell’s, to his second home in Barcelona, to the glitz and glamour of Paris and later Miami – all while representing Argentina on the biggest stage throughout, Jorge was one of the constants in Messi’s life.

Football will now mourn the loss of a man who played a crucial role in helping one of the sport’s greatest talents reach the top.