For Lionel Messi, his father, Jorge Messi, has been the most important companion throughout his career.

For Lionel Messi , Jorge Messi is not only a father figure but also a key influential figure in every step of the Argentine superstar’s illustrious career. Messi’s father is also his longtime agent, directly involved in many important negotiations throughout his son’s career, and has been the greatest support for the Argentine superstar since his early days at Barcelona.

Messi and his father (Photo: Ole)

In a recent interview, Messi spoke about his special relationship with his father. “Regarding football, I talk a lot with my father. Throughout my career, he’s always been there for me. After every match, I text or talk to him. In football, I share with my father, and in life, I share with my whole family,” Messi said.

The Argentina captain admitted he’s always been very hard on himself, but his father’s assessment holds special significance. “I’ve always been very hard on myself, but since I was little I’ve always needed my father’s validation. After every game, I would ask him. He used to play very well but tore a tendon, and the injury didn’t heal properly, so he couldn’t play anymore,” Messi recalled.

Jorge Messi had a profound influence on his son’s character and drive for self-improvement. According to Messi, his father was also very demanding when it came to evaluating on-field performance.

“My father helped me a lot. He was very strict with me, and that always made me want to improve. But he also knew that the person who was strictest with me was myself. With my mother, no matter how badly I played, I was always the best. To her, I played well in every game, and the fault was never mine. All mothers are like that,” Messi said.

Messi recounted an example of his father’s strictness: “Sometimes I’d just played a great game, but he’d still say, ‘You missed a chance.’ He used to tease me like that. It was good for me, it made me want to improve. Both my father and I are very strict people.”

Jorge also became the focus of many controversies throughout Messi’s career. The former Barcelona player was reportedly annoyed when his father was caught up in rumors related to his power within the Argentine national team.

“People talk about my father more than the fathers of other players. They used to say that he and I arranged the national team, decided who got called up… He was dragged into a lot of things that were completely unrelated,” Messi once shared.

He believes he can handle the pressure because he’s used to media attention, but his family is the one who suffers more: “If they talk about me, I can understand it, because I’m a player. But why my father? The ones who really suffer are my family. I can defend myself and just focus on playing football, but it’s really difficult for my family.”

Messi also once said that when he was a child, he didn’t have much time to spend with his father because Jorge had to work constantly to provide for the family.

“I have many things in common with him, but he worked all day so he didn’t have much time to spend with us. He would wake up at 4 a.m. and only come home for dinner. So, every time we got to see each other, I cherished it. He never yelled at me. I miss him very much,” the Argentine superstar continued. Those experiences also influenced how Messi raised his three children, Thiago, Mateo, and Ciro.

Football is the most frequent topic of conversation between father and son. Jorge closely follows Messi’s matches, from Barcelona to the Argentine national team, and doesn’t hesitate to point out areas where his son needs improvement.

Jorge Messi passed away in his hometown of Rosario (Santa Fe, Argentina) on the evening of August 7th (local time, morning of August 8th in Vietnam). Messi’s father’s health had deteriorated over the past two months, which is why the Argentina captain broke down in tears during a World Cup 2026 match .