"God of Football" Messi's Father Passes Away at 68... Supported Son's 26-Year Soccer Career

The Agent Behind Messi's Two-Decade Career
Minimized Public Exposure... Raised His Son Into a Soccer Legend

Lionel Messi's (39) father, Jorge Messi, has passed away at the age of 68.

Soccer player Lionel Messi (left) and his father. Photo by Yonhap News.

On August 8 (local time), Argentine media outlets including the daily Clarín, Infobae, and Olé reported that Jorge died of a longstanding illness around 2 a.m. that day at a hospital in Rosario.

Jorge Messi was neither a professional executive nor a sports business specialist. However, with unwavering belief in his son's talent, exceptional intuition, and characteristic prudence, he quietly guided Messi's career for more than 20 years.

In 2000, when Messi was 13, Jorge spearheaded his son's move to Europe, securing a contract with FC Barcelona that promised growth hormone treatment costs and housing support for the family. He was by his young son's side as Messi struggled to adapt to life in unfamiliar Spain. Even after the rest of the family returned to their hometown of Rosario, Jorge stayed in Barcelona, living together with Messi and supporting him. Looking back, Messi later recalled, "My father was always with me, and we went through so many hardships together."

Having become skeptical of intermediaries at the time, Jorge took a seat at the negotiating table himself, moving beyond the role of father to become Messi's official agent. Thereafter, every decision regarding Messi's contracts, transfers, endorsements, and business matters went through him. Even after Messi became one of the world's top players, Jorge avoided media exposure as much as possible, maintaining a low profile except during critical contract negotiations or when correcting misinformation. Messi’s own tendency to strictly protect his private life and avoid unnecessary media attention was a direct result of his father's influence.

From Messi's early years, Jorge also gave him valuable soccer advice. When Messi took a trial at Argentina’s prestigious club River Plate, Jorge stood behind the wire fence encouraging his son to show how he could run. Later, at Barcelona’s La Masia academy, when coaches told Messi to play a certain way, Jorge encouraged him by saying, “Play the way you know best.”

Jorge's most critical role was protecting Messi from outside noise and keeping his surroundings steady, letting him focus solely on the game. Indeed, whether during Messi’s transfer from FC Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) or when he decided to join Inter Miami CF in the United States in 2023, Jorge led every key negotiation. By shielding Messi from external pressures, he allowed him to focus on what mattered most: soccer and family, rather than complicated business issues.

Local media have assessed that while Messi became the world's greatest player thanks to his own talent and effort, it was the environment created and safeguarded by his father—the "supporter"—that played a crucial role in nurturing and protecting that talent over the years.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.