In a statement, Dr. Carlos Mackey, the hospital’s medical director, confirmed that Jorge Messi passed away in the early hours of the morning. Newell’s Old Boys, the Rosario-based club where Lionel Messi played as a youth before moving to Europe, also confirmed his passing and paid tribute on social media. “Renowned leproso fan (as Newell’s fans are known), businessman and father of the captain of the Argentine national team, Lionel Andrés Messi. The Argentine Football Association (AFA), the governing body of football in the country, expressed its “sadness and regret at the passing of Jorge Messi, father of our captain and emblem, Lionel Messi.” Jorge Messi was one of the cornerstones of his son Lionel’s football career.