Deutsche Tageszeitung - Lionel Messi's father Jorge dies aged 68

Weather - Berlin 25°C

Lionel Messi's father Jorge dies aged 68

THINGS TO KNOW 08.08.2026

Lionel Messi's father Jorge dies aged 68 / Photo: © AFP/File

Jorge Messi, the father and agent of Lionel Messi, has died aged 68, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner's childhood club Newell's Old Boys announced on Saturday.

Change text size:

Argentinian media reported Jorge Messi 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.

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.

Messi's family asked the media for "humanity" during the recent World Cup amid persistent rumours over Jorge's health.

(V.Varonivska--DTZ)

Featured

Maradona's 'Hand of God' ball heads to US auction

The soccer ball that Diego Maradona used to score his notorious "Hand of God" goal during Argentina's win over England in the 1986 World Cup is expected to sell for $10 million at a US auction this month.

Maradona bloated, bedridden and resigned before death, says icon's masseur

Diego Maradona was bedridden, suffering from edema, and appeared resigned to his fate in his final days, according to the testimony of the Argentine football legend's masseur at the trial into the circumstances of his death in 2020.

نوشا أوبيل: هل هي على مستوى التحديات التي تواجهها بوتسدام؟

تولت نوشا أوبيل منصبها مدعومة بثقة كبيرة. فقد حصلت في الجولة الثانية من الانتخابات على 72,9 في المائة من الأصوات. لكن لفهم الصورة الكاملة، لا بد من الإشارة إلى أن نسبة المشاركة لم تتجاوز 42,5 في المائة من الناخبين المؤهلين. ويبدو أن هذا يعزى إلى أداء سلفها مايك شوبرت (53 عامًا، الحزب الاشتراكي الديمقراطي) في منصبه. أما أوبل نفسها، فلم ترغب في الحصول على فترة سماح مدتها مائة يوم بعد توليها منصبها في 24 أكتوبر 2025. فقد أعلنت، في تصريح طموح، أن السياسة يجب أن تكون قريبة من الناس وشفافة وفعالة، وأن تكون الإدارة حديثة وإنسانية. ومن يثير مثل هذه التوقعات، لا يحق له أن يشكو من أنه يُقيَّم مبكرًا على أساس إعلاناته الخاصة.

Gazans hold mass funeral for those killed during war

In a cleared plot of land between buildings flattened by airstrikes in Gaza City, row upon row of Palestinian flags were laid out neatly over the remains of dozens of people to be buried on Tuesday.

Change text size: