Father of Lionel Messi, Jorge Messi, dies at 68

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Jorge Messi, the father of Argentina and Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi, has died at the age of 68 after a long illness, according to Argentine media and Spanish newspaper Marca.

Jorge Messi died at a hospital in Rosario, reports by Infobae and Marca said. No official confirmation of his death or details about his illness were immediately available.

He played a significant role in Lionel Messi’s career from its early stages. When the young Messi moved from Argentina to Spain to join Barcelona’s youth academy, Jorge accompanied him during the first months of the move, while the rest of the family stayed in Rosario.

Jorge later became involved in managing his son’s professional affairs and served as one of his representatives.

He remained involved in major decisions throughout Messi’s career, from his early days at Barcelona to his emergence as one of the most successful players in world football.

Despite his son’s global fame, Jorge Messi largely stayed out of the spotlight and worked behind the scenes as Lionel developed from a young Barcelona prospect into one of football’s most accomplished figures.

Lionel Messi, 39, had not publicly commented on his father’s reported death as of Saturday.

Argentine media and Marca have not reported a specific cause of death, saying only that Jorge Messi had been suffering from a long illness.