Jorge Messi, Father and Longtime Agent of Lionel Messi, Dies at 68 After Long Illness
Jorge Horacio Messi, the father, confidant and longtime agent of Argentine football icon Lionel Messi, has died at the age of 68 after a prolonged illness. He passed away in the early hours of Saturday, August 8, 2026, at Sanatorio Centro in his hometown of Rosario, Argentina. The hospital’s medical director, Dr. Carlos Mackey, confirmed the death occurred at approximately 2 a.m., noting that further medical details would not be released out of respect for the family’s privacy.
The news was first publicly confirmed by Club Atlético Newell’s Old Boys, the Rosario club that holds a special place in the Messi family’s history. In a statement, the club described Jorge as a “renowned leproso fan, businessman and father of the captain of the Argentine national team.” It called him “the pillar and the person who, with vision, rigor and affection, supported the career of the best player of all time, alongside his wife, Celia Cuccittini.” The Argentine Football Association (AFA) ordered a minute’s silence at matches across all categories of Argentine football and instructed players, coaches and referees to wear black armbands. CONMEBOL and numerous clubs, including Barcelona, Inter Miami, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, issued tributes.
Jorge spent his final months alternating between medical care in Rosario and time at home, supported by his wife Celia and their children Rodrigo, Matías and María Sol. Lionel, who had been training with Inter Miami as recently as Friday, flew back to Argentina on a private flight to attend a private wake. His remains were expected to be transferred to El Prado private cemetery in Pérez, near Rosario.
Born in Rosario in 1958 to a working-class family of Italian and Spanish descent, Jorge Messi grew up in the southern neighborhoods of the city. He played as a midfielder in the youth ranks of Newell’s Old Boys but left the game to complete mandatory military service. He later worked as a chemical technician and rose to a supervisory role at the Acindar steel plant in Villa Constitución. Together with his father Eusebio, a bricklayer, he helped build the family’s modest home on Calle Lavalleja (later renamed) in a quiet residential area of Rosario. He married Celia María Cuccittini in 1978 after completing his military service. The couple had four children: Rodrigo (born 1980), Matías (1982), Lionel Andrés (June 24, 1987) and María Sol (1993).
Jorge was the first to recognize his third son’s extraordinary talent. When Lionel was four, Jorge coached him at the local Abanderado Grandoli club. Family accounts describe an early moment that left a lasting impression: young Lionel, still a toddler, dispossessed an older sibling with a natural tackle that stunned those watching. Jorge later said the family never initially thought in terms of professional success; they simply enjoyed watching the boy play because he loved it and did it well.
The decisive turning point came when Lionel was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency around the age of 10. Treatment was expensive, and neither Newell’s nor other Argentine clubs would fully cover the costs. Jorge’s workplace insurance covered only a fraction. Faced with the risk that his son’s development would be stunted, Jorge made the life-altering decision in 2000 to take the 13-year-old across the Atlantic for a trial at FC Barcelona. The family had relatives in Catalonia, and after a successful trial, Barcelona agreed to cover the medical treatment and enroll Lionel in La Masia. Jorge left his stable job at the steel plant and stayed with his son in Spain while Celia and the other children eventually returned to Rosario. The separation was difficult; for the first few years Lionel saw his mother only every few months.
In Barcelona, Jorge gradually assumed full control of his son’s professional affairs. Dissatisfied with early intermediaries, he took over as agent and business manager. Without formal training in sports representation, he learned on the job, negotiating contracts, image rights and commercial deals. He became the central figure through whom major decisions passed, even as a broader team of lawyers, financial advisers and specialists grew around the Messi brand. Forbes continued to list him as Lionel’s agent and business manager into 2026. He was involved in successive contract renewals at Barcelona, the difficult departure from the club in 2021, the move to Paris Saint-Germain, and the eventual transfer to Inter Miami in 2023. He also oversaw a large commercial portfolio and family business interests that turned the Messi operation into a multi-million-euro enterprise.
Lionel has repeatedly spoken of his father’s influence both on and off the pitch. “I always needed my dad’s approval, ever since I was a kid. After every match, I’d ask him what he thought of how I played,” he has said. In another interview he noted that Jorge was highly critical, a trait that pushed him to improve constantly. Jorge, for his part, described his role in simple terms: since arriving in Barcelona in 2000, he had tried to make his son’s life easier so Lionel could focus on football.
The 2026 World Cup brought additional public attention to Jorge’s health. During the tournament, the family issued a statement acknowledging that he was dealing with a “health-related situation” and was under close medical attention. False reports of his death during Argentina’s opening match against Algeria prompted a strong family response condemning the lack of sensitivity and respect for a private matter. Lionel appeared emotional at times during the competition, later attributing tears after a hat-trick to “something unrelated to football” after difficult days. Despite the strain, he helped lead Argentina to the final.
Jorge Messi’s death closes a remarkable chapter in modern football. A former steelworker and youth midfielder from Rosario became the quiet architect behind one of the greatest careers the sport has seen. He recognized talent when others saw only a small boy with a medical condition, took the risk of uprooting his life to give that boy a chance in Europe, and then managed the complex business and personal demands of global superstardom with a low profile. Clubs, federations and players across the world have paid tribute to a man remembered for vision, rigor, affection and unwavering support. For Lionel Messi and his family, the loss is profoundly personal. The football world, meanwhile, has lost one of the key figures who helped turn a gifted child from the streets of Rosario into a legend.
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