We have seen the images of a disillusioned Lionel Messi standing alone on a football pitch. His worst defeats appeared to consume him within his own solitude. What can one say to someone who, from a competitive standpoint, represents success in excess?For Messi, that voice of reason, the shoulder to cry on, was his father, Jorge. On Saturday, Jorge passed away at the age of 68 in Rosario, Argentina.Through both his son’s successes and difficult moments as a player, Jorge had been there, quietly controlling the multi-million dollar Messi brand. He was his boy’s agent and acted as a determined negotiator for one of the greatest athletes of all time. But beyond the headlines and business dealings stood a supportive father.Jorge knew before anyone else on this planet that ‘Leo’ had a gift. He saw greatness when many others around him saw a weak child with growth issues.When Jorge packed a suitcase and took his 13-year-old son across the Atlantic Ocean to join Barcelona in 2000, it would change football forever. It sounds like a Hollywood script, but few boys at that age — never mind one who only knew his surroundings in Rosario — would be equipped to move thousands of miles away, to leave their mother and siblings behind.“My old man was always by my side. We went through a lot of ugly things together,” Messi told Radio Del Plata in 2007. “Sometimes, I would shut myself in my room to cry alone, or he’d do the same, without me seeing him. We’d pretend we were both OK, but we weren’t. My old man asked me, ‘What do you want to do? Do you want to keep going or should we go back home?’ I wanted to keep going, and he stayed with me.”Lionel Messi with his family, including Jorge, centre, at their home in Rosario in 2003 (Marcelo Boeri/El Grafico/Getty Images)The life of a footballer was foreign to Messi.His father was an ardent Newell’s Old Boys supporter and worked at a local metal factory as a supervisor. Players for clubs such as Newell’s, Boca Juniors, River Plate and Argentina’s national team were god-like heroes. Jorge introduced the young Lionel to the folklore of Argentine football and encouraged him to play the sport. After all, that is what parents so often do.“My old man would get up at four in the morning and get back home at nine at night for dinner, practically every day,” Messi told TyC Sports in 2019. “We saw little of each other, and when we did see each other, he enjoyed my company. He never scolded me. I enjoyed him so much, I would wait for him just to hug him and be with him. He spent all his time working, honestly.”In Ariel Senosiain’s 2023 book Messi, El Genio Completo (Messi, The Complete Genius), Jorge, in a rare on-the-record interview, spoke about his celebrity son and the initial bond that defined their relationship. He debunked any notion that Messi did not enjoy football as a child — gossip that had gained traction in Argentina. “It’s not true,” Jorge said. “He always had a passion for the sport.”