Jorge Messi, the father and longtime agent of Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi, died Saturday at the age of 68, at the medical center in Rosario, Argentina, where he had been receiving care. He passed away in the early hours of the morning, and no further details surrounding the cause of death will be released, out of respect for the family’s privacy.
Tributes poured in from across football. Newell’s Old Boys, the Rosario-based club where Lionel Messi played as a youth before moving to Europe, paid tribute on social media, describing him as a devoted fan, businessman and the father who “underpinned with vision, rigor and affection the career of the best player of all time along with his wife, Celia Cuccittini.”
The Argentine Football Association said it was saddened by the passing of Jorge Messi, father of “our captain and emblem,” and offered the family its heartfelt condolences. Argentina’s national team also shared a brief message of support, accompanied by an image reading “Fuerza Leo.”
