Lionel Messi's father dies aged 68 in Argentina

The death occurred around 10pm local time, in a clinic in the city of Rosário. Jorge Messi died at the age of 68. He was one of the main pillars of his son's football career, having fought for Leo to have access to the necessary treatment when he was still in the youth teams at Newell's Old Boys. He then accompanied the young talent to Barcelona to be by his side during his European journey, while his wife took care of the rest of the family in Argentina.

In 2007, Leo Messi did not hide the gratitude he felt for his father and for everything he had done: "My father was always by my side. We went through many difficult situations. Sometimes, I would lock myself in the room to cry alone, or he would do the same without me seeing. We pretended we were fine, but in reality, we were bad. My father asked me: 'What do you want to do? Do you want to continue or do we go home?' I wanted to continue, and he stayed with me", he told at the time Radio Del Plata.

Messi had already hinted that something was not right

Footballer Lionel Messi admitted on Tuesday that he faced difficult times before equaling German Miroslav Klose as the top scorer in World Cup history, scoring three goals in Argentina's 3-0 victory over Algeria.

"It's an issue completely unrelated to the sport. I went through some difficult days, but I'm grateful to the entire committee and my teammates, because they were always by my side and gave me a lot of strength to overcome it", admitted the striker and captain to journalists after the opening match of Group J of the 2026 World Cup, played at Arrowhead Stadium, in Kansas City, in the United States.

"When I was a child, I never imagined experiencing everything I experienced. This is a blessing. I achieved everything and more and I'm making the most of a wonderful group, feeling good on the pitch, as I've always liked", highlighted the Ballon d'Or record holder, with eight trophies, a week before turning 39 and after recovering from a recent injury to his left thigh.

"I love playing football, it's been my passion since I was little. When I'm well, I give my all. We've been watching the series about Rafael Nadal and I identify with it a lot. We're similar in that: I always want to do my best and feel good. That's how I enjoy it," he said, referring to the recently released documentary about the former Spanish tennis player, winner of 22 Grand Slam tournaments.

"Fortunately, I'm feeling good and we managed to win. It's important to start winning, because the first match is never easy and we had a difficult opponent in front of us. The first half was quite complicated for us, but then we managed to make a difference. Our group is more united and stronger than ever. We compete, we want more and we will fight. The competition is fierce, all the teams are well prepared and the games will be dynamic and intense", analyzed the oldest player to score three goals in a match in the competition.