Lionel Messi flies home for private farewell to father Jorge

Lionel Messi has returned to Argentina with his family to say goodbye to his father and agent Jorge Messi, who died early on Saturday aged 68.

A private jet carrying the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner landed at Rosario Airport after travelling from the United States. Messi was accompanied by his wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, and their children, according to airport authorities.

The family appeared visibly distressed on arrival, with most of them dressed in black. They left the airport in a vehicle escorted by local police amid tight security.

Funeral proceedings are expected to take place on Sunday in the nearby town of Perez, close to Rosario, according to local officials who spoke to Agence France-Presse.

The ceremony is due to be held privately, with only family members present and away from public attention. No cause of death has been announced.

Jorge Messi was a central figure throughout his son’s life and career. He provided crucial support during the difficult teenage years Lionel Messi spent in Barcelona, having moved to the Catalan club at the age of 13 while separated from his home country.

Jorge Messi also managed his son’s professional and financial affairs throughout a remarkable career that has included eight Ballon d’Or awards.

Tributes have been offered by organisations across the football world, with the Argentine Football Association and Barcelona among the first to express their condolences.

Barcelona said: “FC Barcelona extends its deepest gratitude to Jorge Messi for his unwavering commitment to our club and for the precious trust he placed in us from the earliest days of his son Leo’s football career and throughout his golden years with us.”

Messi’s current club, Inter Miami, also paid tribute in a visible show of support. Its players wore black armbands during their match against Mexican side Monterrey on Saturday evening.

The gesture reflected the sympathy felt for Messi following the death of his father, who had been both his closest family support and his representative during the player’s extraordinary rise in football.

Messi has played for Inter Miami since the summer of 2023. Before that, he established himself as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport during a career that began in Argentina before moving to Barcelona as a teenager.

His return to Rosario, his birthplace in northern Argentina and the city where his family is preparing the funeral, comes during what has been described as the most difficult journey of his life.