Jorge Messi, the father and long-time representative of national team skipper Lionel Messi, has died at the age of 68.

The news was confirmed in statements issued by the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner's childhood club Newell's Old Boys.

Sources familiar with the situation said Jorge Messi passed away at a hospital at Rosario, where he had been receiving treatment.

He died at 2am local time on Saturday morning, the Sanatorio Centro hospital later confirmed in a statement, adding that "out of respect for the family's privacy, no further details will be provided about the medical circumstances of his death."

The news comes just weeks after reports of Jorge Messi's death circulated during the initial days of the 2026 World Cup, at which Lionel captained the national side.

The footballer appeared emotional after scoring the opening goal of his hat-trick in Argentina's 3-0 World Cup group-stage victory over Algeria, though many initially attributed his tears to his record-breaking sixth World Cup appearance.

It later emerged that the circumstances were far more personal. Speaking after the match, Messi revealed he had been enduring "difficult and complicated days."

"Completely unrelated to football, I've been through some difficult and complicated days," he told reporters in the mixed zone after the match.

Without elaborating, the captain thanked his teammates and coaching staff for the support they had provided during Argentina's training camp.

Journalist Eduardo Feinmann later reported that Jorge Messi had been battling a serious illness since late last year.

The following day, television presenter Flor de la Peña mistakenly announced Jorge Messi's death during a live broadcast. The claim was quickly disproved and the family subsequently confirmed that he was undergoing medical treatment.

Best known as his son's representative, Jorge Messi worked in the steel industry in Rosario before dedicating himself to managing Lionel's career.

As his son's extraordinary talent emerged, he played a central role in securing the medical treatment that allowed Lionel to continue playing and led the family's move to Spain when Barcelona offered him a place in the club's academy.

Over the following decades, Jorge acted as adviser, agent and confidant, overseeing contract negotiations, commercial agreements and many of the business decisions surrounding one of football's most successful careers.

He was last seen publicly in November 2025 while attending an Inter Miami match. Since then, neither he nor his wife, Celia Cuccittini, had appeared in public.

Although Lionel Messi has rarely spoken in detail about his relationship with his father, he has consistently credited his parents with providing the foundation for his career.

"My father was always there for me," he once said of the support he received after moving to Spain as a child.

From Rosario to the world

Jorge Horacio Messi was one of the most influential figures in both the professional and personal structure surrounding Argentina's captain.

Born in Rosario, like his son, Jorge worked for many years as a supervisor in the steel industry before dedicating himself entirely to Lionel's career, becoming his manager and chief adviser.

Married to Celia Cuccittini, the couple had four children: Rodrigo, Matías, María Sol and Lionel.

Jorge's role in his son's footballing journey was pivotal from the outset.

Faced with the challenge of funding Lionel's growth hormone treatment while he played in the youth ranks of Grandoli and Newell's Old Boys, Jorge oversaw the move to Barcelona that would ultimately alter the course of football history.

Across more than two decades at the highest level of the game, he maintained an exceptionally low profile despite his son's global fame, largely avoiding cameras and media attention.

Nevertheless, Jorge's influence was present behind the scenes in every major stage of Lionel's career, from contract renewals at Barcelona to the landmark moves to Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami.

"My father helped me enormously. He is very critical of me. That made me always want to push myself further," Lionel Messi told DirecTV Sports in 2022.

Jorge Messi was his son's first coach in Argentina and his sole companion when he first moved to Barcelona as a child in 2000. He left behind a stable job in Argentina, his wife and three other children to move to Spain with his 13-year-old son.

"When we arrived in Barcelona, I used to lock myself in my room to cry alone, and my father did the same – either without me seeing him or thinking I didn't see him. We pretended we were both fine, but we were struggling," Messi later said.

"When things were tough, my father even asked me what I wanted to do, whether I wanted to keep going or go back home. I wanted to continue, so he stayed with me."

A private man, Jorge Messi rarely gave interviews, but on the few occasions he spoke publicly of his unbreakable bond with his son, now aged 39.

"The day Leo stops playing, I think a dream will shatter for me, and I won't watch football anymore," he told German magazine Kicker in 2013. 

However, his life was not without controversy.

He made headlines in 2013 when Spanish prosecutors filed tax evasion charges against him and Lionel, accusing both father and son of using a network of companies across the UK, Switzerland, Belize, and Uruguay between 2007 and 2009 to collect the footballer's image rights and evade Spanish taxes.

Three years later, a Barcelona court found both men guilty on three counts of tax fraud. In May 2017, Spain's Supreme Court upheld the convictions on appeal and confirmed suspended prison sentences. The duo paid multi-million-euro fines to settle the case.

In 2019, Jorge and Lionel – along with the Leo Messi Foundation – faced new allegations in Spain involving suspected tax offences, fraud, and money laundering.

This second case was dismissed in 2021.

Condolences and reaction

Confirmation of Jorge Messi's passing prompted an outpouring of condolences from the wider football world, both at home and overseas.

FC Barcelona, where Lionel built much of his legend, expressed its sorrow and thanked his father for entrusting the club with "the beginnings and the years of greatest splendour" of his son's career.

Inter Miami, Lionel's club since mid-2023, wrote on X: "Our hearts are with our captain, Leo, and his entire family."

Paris Saint-Germain, the star's former club, also sent "all our support to Leo, his family and loved ones at this difficult time."

The Argentine Football Association, speaking on behalf of the national team, with which Messi won the 2022 World Cup and played in the 2014 and 2026 finals, also mourned the death.

"Stay strong, Leo Messi and family. We are with you at this difficult time," AFA said in its statement.