While Argentina football legend Lionel Messi is carrying the grief of losing the FIFA World Cup 2026 final, the bigger concern is reportedly from his family standpoint. The 39-year-old’s father Jorge Messi is reportedly battling an undisclosed illness as the legendary footballer seemingly went to spend time with him following the FIFA World Cup decider against Spain before joining Inter Miami for Major League Soccer (MLS).
Who is Jorge Messi?
Jorge Messi, who is the Messi’s father and agent, was present during the FIFA World Cup 2022 final against France and held his son’s trophy of ‘Best player of the World Cup’. Jorge has played an influential role in his son’s flourishing career, starting from accompanying him to Spain when FC Barcelona offered him a contract. Eventually, he became the star forward’s closest adviser, chief negotiator, business representative, handling everything from contract discussions to sponsorship agreements and image-rights deals. Jorge continues to play a massive role in Messi’s career even now.
As of now, there is no update on Messi’s father’s health; however, earlier reports indicated that he was under medical supervision, recovering and progressing favorably within the condition he is experiencing. With the Argentina captain getting visibly emotional after his stunning hat-trick against Algeria, days later the news of his father’s health condition leaked. Nevertheless, the family had asked for privacy at the time.
What did Lionel Messi say about the FIFA World Cup 2026 final loss?
Heading into the final against Spain, Argentina were slight favourites, given how they scored come-from-behind wins over Egypt and England. However, Spain didn’t even let the defending champions let anywhere near the goal and won by 1-0 margin to lift the trophy. Reacting to the defeat, Messi took to social media and wrote:
“The pain is immense, and this wound will take time to heal. But I also hold onto all the good things. The matches we turned around by giving it our all – moments that will remain in our memories forever – and the support of an entire country which, combined with this group’s hard work and effort, brought us back among the world’s elite once again. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for every greeting and message. Once again, we managed to unite as a country and stand together, sharing the immense pride of being Argentine. I also want to congratulate Spain on winning the championship.”
The veteran netted eight goals during the tournament.
