Jorge Messi, father and manager of Lionel Messi, dies at 68

Jorge Messi, the father and long-time manager of Lionel Messi, has died in Rosario, Argentina, at the age of 68. The Sanatorio Centro medical facility, where he was receiving treatment, confirmed his death, though no specific details regarding his illness or cause of death were disclosed. A former steel factory worker and chemical technician, Jorge played as a midfielder in his youth for Newell's Old Boys before leaving the sport for military service. He later coached local youth teams, giving Lionel his first opportunity to play at age four. Following a growth hormone deficiency diagnosis for Lionel and the withdrawal of local club funding for treatment, Jorge moved his 14-year-old son to Spain in 2001. He persuaded Barcelona executives to trial the youngster, leading to an initial agreement famously signed on a paper napkin—a document later deemed legally binding and sold at auction for over £762,000. Jorge left his job and family in Argentina to support Lionel in Barcelona, where they lived together in an apartment. Lionel Messi has previously spoken of the difficulty of that period, noting that they would often cry in private while maintaining a brave face for one another. Jorge negotiated Lionel's first professional contract in 2004 and later managed the commercial expansion of the 'Messi' brand, including deals with Adidas, Pepsi, and Budweiser, as well as the 2017 Barcelona contract worth approximately €555 million. He also played a central role in Lionel's transfers to Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami, including negotiations for revenue-sharing agreements with Apple TV. According to Al Jazeera, illness prevented Jorge from attending the most recent World Cup. Lionel spent time with his father in Rosario after the tournament before returning to Inter Miami; he has since travelled to Argentina with his family for the funeral. Tributes have been left at the gates of the El Prado cemetery in Rosario. Newell's Old Boys and Barcelona both issued statements honouring his role in Lionel's career, and the Argentine Football Association expressed its condolences. During a recent match, teammate Rodrigo De Paul paid tribute by revealing a number 10 shirt after scoring, while players wore black armbands. Jorge Messi faced legal challenges in 2013, when he and Lionel were accused of using a network of companies in the UK, Switzerland, Belize, and Uruguay to evade taxes on image rights in Spain; the case concluded in 2017 with multi-million dollar fines. Further allegations of tax fraud and money laundering involving Jorge, Lionel, and the Lionel Messi Foundation were raised in 2019 but were dismissed in 2021. Jorge is survived by his wife, Celia, and their four children: Rodrigo, Matias, Lionel, and Maria Sol.