Lionel Messi mourns father Jorge, his lifelong pillar of support

Jorge Messi, father of football icon Lionel Messi, has passed away at the age of 68. He had reportedly been battling a long-term illness and was receiving treatment in Rosario.

Jorge wasn’t just Messi’s father, he also served as his long-term agent throughout much of his career. He played a central role in guiding Messi’s rise into one of the greatest footballers of all time.

Lionel Messi shared an emotional tribute following his father’s passing. He said his father had always been his biggest support in life, and that everything he’d achieved was built on that belief.

Messi added that football had given him everything, but family would always come first for him. He described himself as a son before anything else, no matter how far his career had taken him.

He went on to say that he had lost the man who stood behind him at every step of his journey. Messi called his father his biggest supporter and the person who believed in him from the very beginning.

Jorge largely avoided the public spotlight throughout his life, choosing instead to work quietly behind the scenes. He represented his son in commercial negotiations and handled much of the business side of his career.

His health had reportedly declined around the time of the last World Cup. Messi had hinted then that things were difficult at home, without going into further detail publicly.

Years earlier, Jorge had played a key role in Messi’s early football journey. He sought out treatment options that would allow his son to keep playing during childhood, and later moved with him to Barcelona to begin their life in Europe.

That move would go on to shape the course of football history, launching Messi’s rise from a young academy prospect into a global superstar. Tributes have poured in from fans and figures across the football world following news of Jorge’s passing.

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