Lionel Messi said his final farewell to his father, Jorge Messi, this Sunday at the private cemetery El Prado, located in the town of Pérez, about 25 minutes from downtown Rosario, in a private and intimate ceremony that was attended only by close family and friends.
Jorge Messi passed away early Saturday morning at 2:00 AM local time at the Sanatorio Centro de Rosario, at the age of 68, after enduring a prolonged illness, the diagnosis of which the family kept private.
The Argentine star urgently traveled from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he resides and plays for Inter Miami, on a private plane that landed at Rosario Airport around 8:40 PM on Saturday.
Under a security operation, a van transported him from the airport to the family property in an exclusive neighborhood of the city of Santa Fe, where he met with his mother, Celia Cuccittini, and his siblings Rodrigo, Matías, and María Sol.
The funeral at El Prado cemetery, a private estate along Route 33, had restricted access and police presence to maintain the privacy of the event, which concluded at noon on Sunday.
Jorge Messi, born in 1958 in the province of Santa Fe, was a key figure in his son's career.
He was the one who discovered Lionel's talent when he was a child at the Grandoli neighborhood club and who made the decision to move the family to Barcelona so that the footballer could develop in the youth categories of FC Barcelona.
Before becoming Lionel's family heritage representative and manager, Jorge worked as a laborer at the Acindar steel factory in Rosario.
Inter Miami released Messi from the Leagues Cup match against Monterrey so he could travel to Argentina, and they issued an official message: "Our hearts are with our captain, Leo, and the entire Messi family."
The death of Jorge Messi sparked a wave of condolences from the football world. The AFA declared mourning across all categories, with a minute of silence, black armbands, and flags at half-mast.
FC Barcelona expressed gratitude for Jorge's commitment to the club during the early and peak stages of Leo's career, while Real Madrid issued an official message of condolence, joining in the expressions of sympathy despite the historic rivalry between the two clubs.
Newell's Old Boys, River Plate, Conmebol, and RFEF also expressed their condolences to the family.
Jorge Messi was married to Celia Cuccittini and had four children: Rodrigo, Matías, Lionel, and María Sol, whom he supported at every stage of a family journey that forever changed world football.
Related videos:
Filed under: