Jorge Messi, Lionel Messi’s father, has died at the age of 68, Argentine media and Spanish outlet Marca reported.
Jorge died at a hospital in Rosario after a long illness, according to reports by Infobae and Marca. However, there was no immediate official confirmation of his death or information about the illness.
Jorge was closely involved in Lionel’s football career from an early age.
When Lionel moved from Argentina to Spain as a child to join Barcelona’s youth academy, Jorge stayed with him during the first few months before returning to Rosario, where the rest of the family remained.
He later became involved in managing Lionel’s professional affairs and worked as one of his representatives.
He continued to play a role in major decisions throughout his son’s career, including his years at Barcelona and his later success in international football.
Jorge usually stayed out of the public spotlight despite his son’s worldwide fame.
He mainly worked on the management side of Lionel’s career.
Lionel Messi, 39, had not made any public statement about his father’s reported death as of Saturday.
The reports did not give any further details about Jorge Messi’s illness or the cause of his death.
