Jorge Messi, father and architect of Argentine star Lionel Messi, dies

Jorge Messi had himself attempted to become a professional footballer. He played as a midfielder and reached the youth teams of Newell's Old Boys, but had to abandon the activity to do military service, which was previously compulsory in Argentina.

From Rosario youth football to La Masia

After settling in Barcelona, Jorge Messi and his wife Celia Cuccittini built the support structure around their three sons as Lionel moved through La Masia and into the first team at Camp Nou. The family has credited the stability of that environment for Lionel's development through a childhood disrupted by medical treatment and relocation.

Jorge Messi remained a constant presence at matches and negotiations even as Lionel Messi's career expanded to Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami. Argentine commentators noted his role in steering the family through contract disputes, sponsorship decisions and the high-stakes negotiations over the forward's playing future.

The news triggered tributes from Argentine football figures, with attention focused on Jorge Messi's role in guiding his son back to Newell's Old Boys in 2023, after the 2022 World Cup triumph in Qatar. The homecoming, completed years after his playing career began at the same club, was framed by Argentine media as a closing of a circle that Jorge Messi had helped to open decades earlier.

Tributes and reactions

Lionel Messi had previously spoken publicly about his father's influence, crediting him with the decision to move the family to Barcelona in 2000 so that his son could receive treatment and continue his development at La Masia. The relocation, controversial at the time, ultimately defined the trajectory of one of the most decorated careers in football history.

Argentine outlets reported that the family was preparing funeral arrangements in Rosario. Messages of condolence poured in from Argentine clubs, with Newell's Old Boys, where Jorge Messi played in his youth, issuing a statement mourning the death of a 'formative figure' connected to the club's modern history.

A chapter closes for Argentine football

The death comes during a period of reduced activity for Lionel Messi on the pitch, with Inter Miami's MLS season paused for international fixtures. The Argentine Football Association and CONMEBOL were among the bodies expected to issue formal acknowledgements.

For Argentine football, the passing of Jorge Messi closes a chapter that began in the working-class neighborhoods of Rosario and ended with his son lifting the World Cup trophy in Lusail. Analysts in the country's sports press described him as a 'silent architect' whose decisions shaped not only a career but a national narrative.