Rosario Inter Miami honors Messi’s father as captain flies home

Lionel Messi returned to his hometown of Rosario on Saturday, August 9, after his father Jorge died at 68, prompting Inter Miami to honour their captain during the Leagues Cup match in Argentina, as reported by US senior sports writer Daniel Matthews.

Messi missed Inter Miami's Leagues Cup clash with Monterrey to travel to Argentina, where, according to reports in South America, the 39‑year‑old will attend a private memorial service. The 68‑year‑old Jorge Messi passed away in a Rosario hospital around 10 p.m. local time on Friday, 7 August, two months after the family disclosed a prior health situation. In his absence, Inter Miami players wore black armbands, observed a moment of silence before kickoff, and the club posted on social media, “Our hearts are with our captain, Leo, and the entire Messi family.”

Stand‑in captain Rodrigo De Paul, Messi’s Argentina teammate, opened the scoring against Monterrey. After the goal he ripped his shirt to reveal another bearing the message “Messi 10.”

Newell’s Old Boys issued a statement in Spanish, bidding farewell to Jorge Messi and praising his vision, rigor and affection that supported Lionel from his early days at Malvinas to global glory. Both FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team posted tributes, with Barcelona’s spokesperson expressing deepest condolences and Argentina writing on X, “Stay strong, Leo Messi and family. We are with you in this difficult moment.” The story was published at 01:57 BST on 9 August 2026 and updated at 02:15 BST.