Jorge Messi, father and longtime agent of Argentine football icon Lionel Messi, has died at the age of 68 following a prolonged illness, his family confirmed.
CDA News Nigeria gathered that Jorge passed away on Friday night at a medical clinic in the Argentine city of Rosario, having spent his final months moving between the medical centre and his home. He was surrounded by his wife, Celia Cuccittini, and his children, Rodrigo, MatÃas, and MarÃa Sol, according to a family statement confirmed to Reuters.
Jorge stood as one of the most influential figures behind the rise of Lionel Messi, widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time. He accompanied his son’s career from its earliest days at Newell’s Old Boys in Rosario through to Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Inter Miami, serving for two decades as his agent, adviser, and negotiator.
CDA News Nigeria reports that when Barcelona scouted a young Lionel Messi in 2000, the entire family relocated from Argentina to Spain to support his development. When his mother and siblings later grew homesick and returned home, Jorge remained by his son’s side in Barcelona to help him pursue his footballing dreams. Having previously worked in a steel factory in Rosario, Jorge went on to learn the business side of football, keeping his son’s affairs a family matter rather than handing them to a major agency throughout Lionel’s illustrious career.
Newell’s Old Boys, the club where Messi began his football journey, paid tribute to Jorge in a statement expressing “deep sorrow and grief” over his passing. “Jorge was the pillar and the person who supported with vision, rigor and affection the career of the greatest player of all time alongside his wife, Celia Cuccittini,” the club said, adding that his “constant companionship and behind-the-scenes leadership were essential in backing every step of Lionel, from his beginnings at Malvinas to the pinnacle of world football glory.”
CONMEBOL, the governing body of South American football, also sent condolences, stating that it “deeply regrets the passing of Jorge Messi, father of Argentine footballer Lionel Messi,” and extended its sympathies to Lionel and his family.
CDA News Nigeria gathered that concerns over Jorge’s health had lingered since June, when Lionel Messi broke down in tears after scoring a hat-trick for Argentina against Algeria at the World Cup. The forward later explained that his emotions were “completely unrelated to sports,” fuelling speculation in Argentina that his father’s declining health was the underlying cause. The Messi family subsequently issued a statement confirming Jorge was “dealing with health problems” but was “under medical supervision” and “recovering well” at the time, while appealing for privacy.
Lionel Messi reportedly spent time with his father in the weeks that followed, including skipping the Major League Soccer All-Star Game at the end of July before returning to action for Inter Miami roughly a week later.
Jorge Messi’s death marks the loss of a figure widely credited with shaping one of football’s greatest careers, having quietly guided his son’s rise from a boyhood dream in Rosario to global superstardom, all while maintaining a deliberately low public profile away from the spotlight that followed his son.
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