Inter Miami CF mourns Messi’s father, dead at 68 after illness in Argentina

Healthcare organization in Argentina, reports Jorge Messi died on Saturday at Sanatorio Centro in Rosario

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the first half of a Leagues Cup soccer match against Atletico de San Luis, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) (Rebecca Blackwell/AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

MIAMI — Inter Miami CF released a statement on Saturday afternoon after Lionel Messi’s 68-year-old father died in Argentina.

Leer en español

Grupo Centro, the healthcare organization that owns Sanatorio Centro, a hospital in Rosario, Argentina, announced Jorge Messi died on Saturday morning.

“Our hearts are with our captain, Leo, and the entire Messi family,” a spokesperson for Inter Miami CF wrote in the team’s statement.

The South American Football Confederation, CONMEBOL, and Rosario’s Club Atlético Newell’s Old Boys also released condolences messages.

FILE PHOTOS: Lionel Messi sits in court with his father Jorge Horacio Messi in Barcelona, Spain, June 2, 2016. REUTERS/Alberto Estevez/Pool/File Photo | Jorge Messi watches his son play on July 6, 2011. REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci/File Photo

Jorge Messi was a midfielder who reached the youth ranks of Newell’s Old Boys. He was his son’s agent and was involved in Leo Messi’s contracts with Barça, Paris Saint-Germain, and Inter Miami CF.

“I had the privilege of knowing and working with Jorge. He was a man of his word, and my thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time. Miami has embraced the Team Messi family as our own, and we mourn with them today,” Francis X. Suarez, a former Miami mayor, wrote in a statement on X.

During the FIFA World Cup, Lionel Messi told reporters that he was in tears over “a reason unrelated to sports” after going “through some difficult, complicated days.”

In June, Messi’s family released a statement reporting that Jorge Messi was “experiencing a health issue.”

Related stories

Related social media

Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.

About The Author
Andrea Torres

Andrea Torres

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.