Argentinian soccer star Lionel Messi has arrived in his hometown of Rosario to grieve the death of his father Jorge Messi.
The soccer star landed in the country from Miami on Aug. 8 for a private ceremony at a cemetery near Rosario, according to news agency Agence France-Presse.
Jorge Messi, who was the soccer icon’s longtime representative and agent, died the day prior at medical facility Sanatorio Centro, according to a statement from the facility’s director Carlos Mackey. The director declined to provide further details on the cause of death. Jorge Messi was 68 years old.
“We stand with his family and loved ones during this difficult time and offer our deepest condolences,” Mackey said in a statement provided to NBC News that was translated from Spanish.
Some of Lionel Messi’s teammates from the Argentinian national team are expected to join him for the ceremony, according to AFP. Already, photographs of the area captured signs and posters around the cemetery with messages from fans, sending their condolences and support to the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.
“It will surely do him good for us to be there,” Leandro Paredes, Lionel Messi’s teammate on Argentina’s national squad and midfielder for Argentine professional sports club Boca Juniors, told journalists Aug. 8, according to AFP.
Jorge Messi, a former supervisor at a steel manufacturing plant, was among the first to recognize his son’s extraordinary soccer talents. The proud dad traveled with Lionel Messi to Barcelona when the young soccer star was just 13 years old to kickstart his eventual storied career there.
In a 2007 interview with Radio del Plata, Lionel Messi said that his father “was always by my side.”
“Sometimes I would lock myself in my room to cry when we arrived in Barcelona, or my dad would do the same without me seeing him, or thinking I didn’t see him,” Lionel Messi recalled to the outlet. “We pretended we were both OK, but we weren’t. My dad even asked me what I wanted to do when we were feeling down, if I wanted to stay or go back, and I wanted to stay, and he stayed with me.”
Jorge Messi would go on to negotiate some of his son’s biggest contracts including one with FC Barcelona, in addition to transfers to Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami FC.
The Barcelona club paid tribute to the elder Messi in a moving statement.
“FC Barcelona thanks Jorge Messi for his commitment to our Club, for entrusting us with the beginning and the most glorious years of his son Leo’s football career,” the statement said. “Rest in peace.”
Others also honored the longtime agent, including Lionel Messi’s current team, Inter Miami. The club held a moment of silence during their game Aug. 8 against Monterrey. Its players also wore black armbands in support of their grieving teammate.
Jorge Messi’s health was a subject of discussion amid the World Cup, which wrapped up on July 19 with Spain winning over Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the finals. The father was not seen at the World Cup matches.
The soccer star, 39, appeared to allude to some personal struggles at the time of the tournament. He became emotional after scoring his first goal of three in Argentina’s 3-1 World Cup victory over Algeria in June.
“It was something completely unrelated to football,” he told reporters of why he broke down. “I went through some difficult days.”
After a newscaster falsely reported that Jorge Messi had died in June, the family released a statement, clarifying that he was “dealing with a health issue.”
“He is presently under medical supervision, recovering, and showing favorable progress given his condition,” the statement read.
Source: TODAY
