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Jorge Messi, Father and Agent of Lionel Messi, Dies at 68

evening · · thread: Argentina Secures Silver Medal Amid Internal Turmoil Following World Cup Final Loss

17 sources across 11 countries · 1 of them is linked to a state

Who reported this

  • elDiarioAR Argentina · Centre-left · Newsroom-majority owned, membership funded
  • Clarin Argentina · Centre-right · Grupo Clarin
  • Infobae Argentina · Centre-right · Daniel Hadad
  • La Nacion Argentina · Centre-right · Saguier family
  • G1 Brazil · Centre-left · Grupo Globo (Marinho family)
  • UOL Brazil · Centre-left · Grupo Folha
  • CNN Brasil Brazil · Centre · Rubens Menin (MRV)
  • Folha de S.Paulo Brazil · Centre · Grupo Folha (Frias family)
  • La Tercera Chile · Centre-right · Copesa (Saieh family)
  • El Espectador Colombia · Centre-left · Grupo Santo Domingo
  • Frankfurter Allgemeine Germany · Centre-right · FAZIT-Stiftung (foundation)
  • Telex Hungary · Centre · Reader-funded, staff-owned
  • The Indian Express India · Centre · Indian Express Group (Goenka family)
  • ANSA Italy · Centre · Publisher cooperative
  • Al Jazeera Qatar · Centre-left · State-affiliated · Qatari government funded
  • El Pais Spain · Centre-left · Grupo PRISA
  • The Guardian United Kingdom · Centre-left · Scott Trust Limited

What the colours mean

  • Left
  • Centre-left
  • Centre
  • Centre-right
  • Right
  • A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.

Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.

Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.

The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.

Jorge Messi, the father and long time agent of football star Lionel Messi, died on Friday night or early Saturday morning at the age of 68. He passed away at the Sanatorio Centro in Rosario, Argentina, after a long battle with an illness. While most sources describe the illness as long term, one center right outlet specifically reported that he had been fighting cancer for several months. The medical facility confirmed the death occurred at 2:00 a.m. on Saturday and declined to provide further medical details to protect the family's privacy.

Jorge Messi is remembered as a pivotal figure in his son's career. He managed Lionel's professional affairs and was instrumental in securing the growth hormone treatment Lionel needed as a youth. He also negotiated the move to FC Barcelona when Lionel was 13 years old. Tributes were issued by Newell's Old Boys, the club where Lionel began his training, as well as by CONMEBOL, UNICEF Argentina, and Rosario Central.

The death follows a period of public speculation regarding Jorge's health during the 2026 World Cup. During Argentina's opening match against Algeria, Lionel Messi broke down in tears after scoring his first goal. He later explained that his emotions were due to a personal matter unrelated to football. During the tournament, the Messi family issued a statement confirming Jorge was under medical supervision and expressed frustration over the lack of respect and sensitivity shown by the media. One center left source noted that a presenter on a streaming platform had falsely announced Jorge's death during a live broadcast in June.

Jorge Messi is survived by his wife, Celia Cuccittini, and his children, Rodrigo, Matías, and María Sol. Lionel Messi, who currently plays for Inter Miami, reportedly flew to Rosario shortly after the World Cup final to be with his father.

How each side framed it

Centre-left
These outlets focused on the emotional bond between father and son and the intrusive nature of the media coverage during the World Cup.
Centre
These outlets provided a straightforward account of the death, the hospital's statement, and the basic timeline of Jorge's role in Lionel's career.
Centre-right
These outlets emphasized Jorge's role as a strategic businessman and leader who navigated the complexities of Lionel's early professional contracts.

Sources

100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.