Jorge Horacio Messi, father and longtime agent of Lionel Messi, passed away on Friday night in a Rosario sanatorium after a prolonged illness at the age of 68.

The family confirmed the news, noting he had spent his final months between medical care and home, supported by his wife Celia and children Rodrigo, Matías and María Sol. Lionel had visited after the 2026 World Cup before returning to Inter Miami.

How Jorge Messi changed Lionel Messi’s Path

Lionel’s extraordinary career cannot be separated from Jorge’s steady presence. At 13, the boy needed costly hormone treatment for a growth condition the family could not afford at $900 a month. Jorge and Lionel travelled to Spain in September 2000 for a trial at Barcelona. When a formal deal stalled, Barcelona director Charly Rexach famously signed a contract on a napkin in December, with family advisors present. Jorge’s determination secured the move that transformed a talented Argentine teenager into a global icon. Lionel debuted for the first team in 2004 and became one of the greatest players ever.

Throughout the Barcelona years, Jorge managed the off-field side-contracts, negotiations and protection-while offering the personal approval Lionel sought after every match.

“I always needed my dad’s approval, ever since I was a kid,” Lionel has said. When Barcelona’s finances forced Lionel’s departure in 2021, Jorge remained a guiding figure through the Paris Saint-Germain chapter and the subsequent move to Inter Miami, where Lionel now serves as captain.

They weathered the storm together

Jorge was beside his son even in the tough times. In 2016, Lionel Messi and his father Jorge were convicted in Spain of tax fraud for concealing €4.1 million in image-rights income (2007-2009) via offshore companies in Belize, Uruguay and the UK. Jorge, as Lionel’s longtime agent and financial manager, set up the complex structures and was deemed the primary architect.

Lionel claimed he trusted his father completely and focused solely on football. Both received 21-month suspended sentences and heavy fines, which they paid. Jorge stood firmly beside his son throughout the trial, court appearances and appeals, shielding him while accepting shared responsibility for the family-managed affairs.

Newell’s Old Boys, Lionel’s first club and Jorge’s lifelong passion, described him as the pillar who supported “with vision, rigor and affection the career of the greatest player of all time.” CONMEBOL and the Argentina national team expressed solidarity with the family.

Jorge preferred the background, yet his decisions, securing treatment and the Barcelona opportunity, shielding his son from external pressures, and remaining the trusted confidant shaped every chapter. He provided the foundation that allowed Lionel’s genius to flourish.