Lionel Messi was absent from Inter Miami's 2-1 Leagues Cup loss to Monterrey on Saturday, 8 August 2026, after his father, Jorge Messi, died at the age of 68 following a lengthy illness. Teammates and clubs around the world paid tribute to the family before and during the match. Jorge, who had managed his son's career as agent since Lionel was 14, passed away in a hospital in the family's hometown of Rosario, Argentina.
Accounts differ slightly on the exact timing of his death: reported he died on Friday night at a medical clinic in Rosario, while CNN cited the medical director confirming the death occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning. also reported that in his final months, Jorge had been moving between the Rosario medical facility and his home, supported by his wife Celia and their children Rodrigo, Matías and María Sol.
This followed a period of uncertainty over Jorge's health earlier in the year. In June 2026, the family had said he was under medical supervision and recovering after concerns emerged around the time of Messi's emotional hat-trick against Algeria at the World Cup. That episode was complicated when, as previously reported, an Argentine television presenter resigned after wrongly announcing Jorge's death during the tournament, prompting the family to caution that only close relatives had accurate information on his condition, according to NBC News.
Before kick-off in Miami, the club held a minute's silence for Jorge, and players took the field wearing black armbands as his name appeared on the stadium's big screens. Miami also added a black ribbon to its social media imagery and issued a statement reading:
Our hearts are with our captain, Leo, and the entire Messi family.
During the match, Messi's Argentina teammate Rodrigo de Paul scored the opening goal and marked it by lifting his shirt to reveal a Messi jersey underneath.
Supporters in the stands held up homemade signs expressing solidarity with Messi and remembering his father. Inter Miami striker Luis Suarez, who was unavailable for the game due to suspension, posted on Instagram that Jorge would keep watching over his son "with pride, as he always did."
How did Messi's former clubs and Argentine football respond?
Barcelona, where Messi began his professional career, held a moment of silence ahead of a 1-0 friendly victory over Nottingham Forest in Udine, Italy. Jorge had traveled with a 13-year-old Lionel to Catalonia in 2000 and was instrumental in convincing the Spanish club to sign him. Barcelona released a statement thanking him:
for his commitment to our club, for entrusting us with the beginnings and the most glorious years of his son Leo's football career.
In Rosario, well-wishers left flowers and flags outside the house where Messi grew up. Argentina's leading clubs, Boca Juniors and River Plate, each observed periods of silence ahead of their fixtures. According to ABC7, the Argentine Football Association went further, ordering a minute's silence across every match in all divisions of Argentine football and requiring players, referees and coaching staff nationwide to wear black armbands.
The Argentine Football Association also issued a statement expressing its condolences:
deeply mourns with sadness and sorrow the passing of Jorge Messi, father of our captain and emblem, Lionel Messi.
From here, we stand in solidarity with the entire family during this difficult time and send the most heartfelt, warm and affectionate embrace.
Newell's Old Boys, the Rosario club long associated with the Messi family, described Jorge as a devoted supporter of the team and an entrepreneur, calling him, according to CNN, "the foundation and guiding force" behind his son's career.
What tributes came from Messi's other former clubs?
Paris St-Germain, where Messi played from 2021 to 2023 after leaving Barcelona, offered condolences in a statement:
The club sends its full support to Leo, his family and loved ones in this painful ordeal. May he rest in peace.
The scale of the tributes across continents reflects Jorge's long-standing role not just as a father but as the figure who managed and shaped Messi's football career from its earliest days in Rosario through to global stardom.
Key Facts
- Jorge Messi died on 8 August 2026 at the age of 68 in Rosario, Argentina, after a long illness.
- He had served as his son Lionel's agent since the player was 14 years old.
- Inter Miami lost 2-1 to Monterrey in the Leagues Cup on the day of his death, with Messi absent.
- Barcelona, Paris St-Germain, Boca Juniors, River Plate and the Argentine Football Association all paid tribute.
- Jorge was survived by his wife Celia and children Rodrigo, Matías, María Sol and Lionel.
