Sports
Jorge Messi, Father and Longtime Agent of Lionel Messi, Dies at 68
The elder Messi, who guided his son's move from Rosario to Barcelona as a teenager, died after a long illness.
Jorge Horacio Messi, the father and longtime representative of Argentine football icon Lionel Messi, died on Friday, August 8, 2026, at a medical clinic in Rosario, Argentina, following a long illness. He was 68.
Jorge was central to his son's rise from a boyhood player at Newell's Old Boys in Rosario to a Barcelona academy prospect, having relocated the family to Spain in 2000 so a 13-year-old Lionel could join Barcelona's youth setup and access growth-hormone treatment. He went on to serve for years as Lionel's agent, negotiating contracts through much of his career.
He is survived by his wife, Celia, and children Rodrigo, Matias and Maria Sol, alongside Lionel. Family members say Jorge divided his final months between medical care in Rosario and time at home.
Lionel has previously spoken of how much his father's opinion mattered to him throughout his career: "I always needed my dad's approval, ever since I was a kid. After every match, I'd ask him what he thought."
Newell's Old Boys, the club where a young Lionel Messi first played, paid tribute to Jorge, saying his "constant companionship and behind-the-scenes leadership were essential in backing every step of Lionel's" career.
Sources: Al Jazeera, CNN, NBC News, ESPN.
