Inter Miami star Rodrigo De Paul has paid a touching tribute to Lionel Messi after father Jorge died aged 68.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner’s childhood club Newell’s Old Boys confirmed on Saturday that arguably football’s greatest ever player’s father and agent had passed away on Friday in a hospital in Rosario.
“His constant companionship and behind-the-scenes leadership were essential in backing every step of Lionel,” Newell’s Old Boys said in a social media post.
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After scoring a goal in Miami’s 2-1 loss to Monterrey in the Leagues Cup, De Paul removed his jersey to reveal Messi’s underneath, pointing to the No.10 in tribute.
The 39-year-old Argentine star arrived in his home country on Saturday alongside his partner, Antonella Rocuzzo, and their children, with most dressed in black, an AFP journalist reported from the airport.
Messi’s family asked the media for “humanity” during the recent World Cup amid persistent rumours over Jorge’s health.
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) sent their “condolences” to the Messi family.
“On behalf of Spanish football, we wish to convey all our love and affection to Lionel and his loved ones during this time of deep sorrow,” the RFEF said in a statement.
A former metal factory worker, Jorge Messi was his son’s first coach in Argentina and his sole companion when he first moved to Barcelona as a child, before later becoming his agent.
“My father helped me enormously. He is very critical of me. That made me always want to push myself further,” Lionel Messi told DirecTV Sports in 2022.
In 2000, Jorge left behind a stable job in Argentina, his wife and three other children to move to Spain with his 13-year-old son.
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“When we arrived in Barcelona, I used to lock myself in my room to cry alone, and my father did the same – either without me seeing him or thinking I didn’t see him. We pretended we were both fine, but we were struggling,” Messi later said.
“When things were tough, my father even asked me what I wanted to do, whether I wanted to keep going or go back home. I wanted to continue, so he stayed with me.” Subsequently, Jorge finalised his son’s first contract with Barcelona, becoming his agent and sole representative with the Spanish club and later at Paris Saint-Germain and in Miami.
The tears of a footballing icon | 00:21
A private man, Jorge Messi rarely gave interviews, but on the few occasions he spoke publicly of his unbreakable bond with his son, now aged 39.
“The day Leo stops playing, I think a dream will shatter for me, and I won’t watch football anymore,” he told German magazine Kicker in 2013.
However, his life was not without controversy.
In 2013, Spanish authorities accused both father and son of using a network of companies across the UK, Switzerland, Belize, and Uruguay between 2007 and 2009 to collect the footballer’s image rights and evade Spanish taxes.
The case was resolved in 2017 following multi-million-euro fines. In 2019, Jorge and Lionel – along with the Leo Messi Foundation – faced new allegations in Spain involving suspected tax offences, fraud, and money laundering.
This second case was dismissed in 2021.