The Argentine Football Association (AFA) on Saturday offered its condolences to Lionel Messi and his family following the death of his father, Jorge Messi, at the age of 68.Jorge Messi had been receiving treatment at a clinic in Rosario.Following his death, the AFA posted a message on X offering its support to Lionel and his family.“Stay strong, Leo Messi and family. We are with you in this difficult moment. We send you our most heartfelt embrace,” the AFA said.FC Barcelona, where Lionel Messi played from 2004 to 2021, also expressed its condolences to Jorge Messi’s family. The club acknowledged Jorge’s role in allowing Barcelona to be part of the early and successful years of Lionel’s football career.“The President and the Board of Directors of FC Barcelona express their deepest condolences on the passing of Jorge Messi, father of former Barca player and legend Lionel Messi, and, on behalf of the entire Barca family, extend their condolences to the Messi family. FC Barcelona thanks Jorge Messi for his commitment to our Club, for entrusting us with the beginnings and the most glorious years of his son Leo’s football career. May he rest in peace,” FC Barcelona said in an X post.Jorge Messi was also closely involved in his son’s football career. After Lionel’s career took off, Jorge became his agent and strategic adviser. Before that, he had worked for years as a supervisor at a steel factory.He was involved in Lionel’s early years at Newell’s Old Boys in Argentina. When Lionel was 13, Jorge helped arrange his move to Spain to join Barcelona’s youth academy.Barcelona also paid for the treatment of Messi’s growth hormone deficiency, a condition that affected his physical development.Jorge was married to Celia Cuccittini and had four children: Lionel, Rodrigo, Matias and Maria Sol.
