Barcelona mourn passing of Jorge Messi, pay tribute to Lionel Messi’s father

New Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS) Barcelona have paid tribute to Jorge Messi, the father of club legend Lionel Messi, following his death at the age of 68 in the Argentine city of Rosario on Saturday after a prolonged illness.

The Catalan club sent their condolences to the Messi family thru a statement on their official accounts, and recognized the key role Jorge played in Lionel’s incredible career.

“The president of Barcelona and the board of directors express their sincere condolences on the death of Jorge Messi, father of Barcelona player and legend Lionel Messi, and convey, on behalf of all Barcelona supporters, their condolences to the Messi family.”

Barcelona also thanked Jorge for the faith he placed in the club during the early stages of his son’s career, when Lionel moved from Argentina to Spain as a youngster.

“Barcelona thank Jorge Messi for his commitment to our club, and for his trust in us at the beginnings of the footballing career of his son Leo, and in the years that saw his career reach the highest levels of brilliance,” the club said.

Barcelona concluded its tribute with the words: “Rest in peace.”

Jorge was one of the most influential figures in Lionel Messi’s path to becoming one of the greatest footballers of all time. He looked after both his son’s sporting and professional life from an early age and was a key player in Lionel’s transfer from Argentina to Barcelona, where the young forward eventually became the central figure in one of the club’s most successful teams.

Jorge died in Rosario, where he had been receiving medical treatment. The clinic which was treating him stated that he died at about 2 AM local time and no additional medical details were given due to respect for the family’s privacy.

Before, Lionel Messi had mentioned that he had been going through a difficult time due to worries about his father’s health. The emotional response he showed after scoring for Argentina led to guesses regarding Jorge’s condition, and as a result the Messi family requested privacy.

Real Madrid also expressed their condolences after Jorge died, honoring him as the father of their former rival at Barcelona and as one of the most celebrated footballers in history.

–IANS

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