The role Jorge Messi played behind the scenes in Lionel’s historic career

Jorge Messi, who passed away Friday at the age of 68 after a long illness, was far more than a father figure in Lionel Messi‘s career — he was its architect, working almost entirely behind the scenes for over two decades to shape one of football’s greatest stories.

His role began long before the world took notice. Jorge served as Lionel’s first coach at Grandoli, a neighborhood club in Rosario, when his son was just four years old, laying the groundwork for the talent that would later catch the eye of Newell’s Old Boys.

He remained a constant presence through Lionel’s diagnosis with growth hormone deficiency, standing by him through an expensive and complicated treatment process the family struggled to afford.

It was Jorge who then made what’s often described as one of football’s riskiest decisions: uprooting the family to relocate to Barcelona, leaving behind stable work in Argentina. That gamble led directly to the club’s famous napkin agreement with Carles Rexach in December 2000, which secured both Lionel’s signing and the funding for his ongoing medical treatment.

As Lionel’s career took off, Jorge’s role evolved from guardian into full-time representative. He left his job at the steel factory to become his son’s sole agent for the next 22 years, negotiating every major contract renewal at Barcelona, orchestrating the move to PSG, and closing the historic arrival at Inter Miami.

Messi’s lifelong reliance on his father’s approval

In an interview with Luzu TV earlier this year, Messi opened up about just how much he relied on his father’s perspective throughout his career, offering a rare glimpse into the emotional weight behind Jorge’s role in his journey.

“On the sporting side, I was always my own harshest critic — I know when I did things well and when I did them badly. But I always needed my old man’s approval or opinion, ever since I was little. I’d finish a match and ask him about anything,” he said.