# Jorge Messi, the Man Behind Lionel Messi’s Rise, Dies at 68
**ROSARIO, Argentina —** Jorge Messi, the father, longtime representative and trusted adviser of Argentine football icon Lionel Messi, has died at the age of 68, according to reports emerging Saturday following his death on Friday night, August 7, 2026.
For decades, Jorge Messi occupied a distinctive position in the life of one of the greatest footballers in history. He was not simply Lionel Messi’s father. He was one of the people who helped guide his son through the extraordinary journey from a football-loving boy in Rosario to a global sporting superstar.
Away from the stadiums, trophies and international celebrations, Jorge remained one of the most important figures in Messi’s private and professional life.
His death therefore marks not only a personal loss for the Messi family, but also the passing of a figure closely connected to one of football’s most remarkable stories.
## From Rosario to the world
Jorge Horacio Messi was born in Argentina and spent much of his early life in Rosario, the city that would later become famous around the world as Lionel Messi’s birthplace.
Before his son became a household name, Jorge lived a comparatively ordinary life. He worked in industry and was a family man raising his children alongside his wife, Celia María Cuccittini.
Football, however, was deeply embedded in the Messi household.
Lionel was one of several children, and from an early age his extraordinary ability with a football became increasingly obvious. His family quickly recognized that what they were witnessing was not simply childhood enthusiasm.
Jorge became an important source of support as Lionel pursued football seriously.
That support would eventually require the family to make one of the most consequential decisions in modern football.
## The difficult decision to leave Argentina
As a child, Lionel Messi joined Newell’s Old Boys in Rosario, where his talent rapidly attracted attention.
But his development was complicated by a medical condition that required growth-hormone treatment. The cost of that treatment created an enormous challenge for the family.
The possibility of moving to Europe eventually became central to Lionel’s future.
