Jorge Messi’s silent stewardship shaped Lionel’s rise

The sporting world is in mourning after the death of Jorge Messi, father of Argentine star Lionel Messi, who also served in multiple capacities throughout his son’s career, from early coach on the Grandoli field to later representative and CEO of the Messi enterprise.

Perhaps the foundational moment of his role was when he trained the young Lionel on the Grandoli pitch, acting as his first coach.

That early involvement grew beneath the surface with each step through the Newell’s youth system, where he cultivated the habit of being constantly present yet remaining unnoticed.

At a turning point, he took a decisive step forward by negotiating Lionel’s transfer to Barcelona when the boy was just 13 years old.

Jorge Messi moved instinctively and never looked back. He was a father first, added the focus of a representative later, and many years after assumed the CEO mantle of the structure that supported the footballer.

The laborer who built his modest home with his own hands in the south of Rosario later fashioned himself into a successful agent, becoming the shadow behind his son’s meteoric rise.

A source speaking to Infobae once said, "Messi is a very well‑managed family SME. Jorge is not a businessman, but he has done everything intuitively and very well." Another personality later countered, "A family business? No! It is a multinational."

He hired top specialists in every field to evaluate the countless proposals that arrived daily for Lionel, enabling fruitful projects with Adidas, the Saudi Ministry of Tourism, Hard Rock, Cirque du Soleil, Budweiser and Pepsi.

Con Celia and Jorge at the front of the protective shield, the father organized the team that kept Messi’s mind focused on football and his personal life, ensuring fame’s shards would not overwhelm him.