ROSARIO, Argentina — Jorge Messi, the father and representative of Argentina captain Lionel Messi, died at the age of 68 following a prolonged illness at a sanatorium on Friday at 10 pm.
Golden Info reports that the sports outlet MARCA cited the news medium Infobae in confirming the death.
The deceased was married to Celia Cuccittini and had four children, including Lionel, Rodrigo, Matias, and Maria Sol. He helped arrange his son’s move to Barcelona at the age of 13 after efforts to secure growth hormone therapy in Argentina proved unsuccessful. He subsequently stayed with his son in Spain while the rest of the family remained in Rosario.
In a 2007 interview, Lionel recalled his father’s support during their early years in Spain. “My old man was always by my side. We lived through many bad moments,” Lionel said. He added, “My old man asked me, what do you want to do, do you want to continue or shall we go back? I wanted to continue and he stayed with me.”
Jorge managed his son’s professional affairs and negotiations with global brands throughout his career. During a previous interview regarding his son’s emergence in football, Jorge said, “You know very well that we have gone through many good and not-so-good moments.”
The family’s health situation previously gained attention during the 2026 World Cup, prompting a statement from the family that Jorge was “under medical supervision, recovering and progressing favourably within the condition he presents”. Jorge previously worked as a chemical technician and manager at Acindar, an Argentine steel company, in the 1980s, and played as a midfielder in the youth system of Newell’s Old Boys before completing military service.