Jorge Messi, the father of football superstar Lionel Messi, has died at the age of 68 following a long illness, Argentine reports and family statements confirmed. The elder Messi passed away in a medical clinic in Rosario, the central Argentine city closely associated with his family and football roots. The death was confirmed by members of the Messi family, who said Jorge spent his final months moving between medical care and home, surrounded by his wife and children.
According to the family, Jorge’s last period of life was marked by frequent visits to a healthcare facility in Rosario and time at home with his wife Celia and their children, including Rodrigo, Matias and Maria Sol. The arrangement underscored the private nature of his final days, with the family keeping details of his condition within a narrow circle. They did not publicly elaborate on the medical specifics, but described his passing as the end of a prolonged battle with illness.
The news comes as Lionel Messi was navigating the immediate aftermath of an eventful summer and the start of a new club phase with Inter Miami. After spending time with his father following the World Cup, Messi rejoined Inter Miami and returned to action about a week before Jorge’s death. In the days surrounding the news, the focus has shifted back to Rosario, where the family and Messi’s wider football circle have been dealing with the loss.
Jorge Messi was widely known not only as a father but as an enduring presence in Lionel’s professional life. He served as a pillar of support from very early in his son’s development, beginning with Lionel’s formative years after joining Barcelona as a youngster. Over time, Jorge’s involvement deepened beyond the emotional and into the practical—he acted as a crucial support figure and, for several years, served as his representative.
Tributes have reflected that close, decades-long partnership. In a statement cited by the press, Club Atletico Newell’s Old Boys—one of the Argentine teams associated with the Messi family—said it was bidding farewell with “deep sorrow and grief” to Jorge Messi, who died in Rosario at 68. The club remembered him as a recognised supporter and businessman, and highlighted his status as the father of Lionel Andrés Messi, the captain of the Argentine national team. The same sentiment was echoed in language that framed Jorge as a guiding figure: a person who supported with vision, rigour and affection.
BBC reporting also noted that Jorge had been Lionel’s agent since the age of 14, reinforcing the extent of his influence through key stages of Lionel’s career. It said he died in a hospital in Rosario in the early hours of Saturday morning. The BBC added that, earlier in the summer, there had been speculation regarding his health during the period of the World Cup, prompting the Messi family to issue a statement referencing a “health-related situation” without specifying the nature of the illness. BBC Sport characterized his role as both managerial and paternal, describing his longstanding stewardship of Lionel’s career alongside his wife, Celia.
In the immediate sports world response, Inter Miami staff and players acknowledged the shock within the team. ESPN reported that Inter Miami defender Facundo Mura said the entire squad had been affected by the death of Jorge Messi and that the club sent a message of support to its captain. ESPN also stated that Jorge died Saturday at a hospital in Rosario, and that Lionel Messi arrived by plane on Saturday night, where Argentine reports suggested he attended a private memorial service. ESPN further indicated that Inter Miami’s coach did not set a timetable for when Messi would return to club duties.
At a moment when football schedules continue to move, the practical question of timing has been addressed carefully. Inter Miami prepares for a match against Club León as part of the final group-stage fixtures of the 2026 Leagues Cup tournament, according to ESPN. Yet in quotes relayed by the outlet, the coach’s emphasis was not on logistics but on the emotional reality of loss—describing it as a huge shame, a source of intense pain, and something the team is struggling to absorb. ESPN reported that the coach noted the difficulty of recovery and the fact that such experiences do not become easier in retrospect.
For Lionel Messi, the death of his father closes another chapter in a storyline that has long intertwined family and sport. Jorge had been present as Lionel grew from promising youth into a global icon. The family’s account of his final months—hospital visits in Rosario alternating with home life, accompanied by Celia and their children—has now become part of the public record, providing context for why Messi’s attention has necessarily shifted away from the field.
The Independent similarly reported the circumstances of Jorge Messi’s death, saying he died at 68 at a medical clinic in Rosario after a long illness, as Lionel’s family confirmed. The Independent noted that Lionel spent time with him after the World Cup before returning to Inter Miami, and it described Jorge’s long-standing role as a supportive presence in Lionel’s career trajectory.
As Rosario and the wider football world process the news, the tributes underline the dual identity Jorge held in Lionel Messi’s life: father and strategist, caretaker and agent, remembered for both personal devotion and professional steadiness. While fixtures and tournaments continue, the immediate focus remains on grief, family, and the support offered by clubs and teammates as Lionel Messi confronts the loss of a man who had been at his side since the earliest steps of his journey.
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