Argentina football icon Lionel Messi on Sunday bid farewell to his father, Jorge Messi, his longtime manager and one of his biggest influences, who died at 68, reportedly after battling cancer.
The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner touched down on a private flight from Miami late Saturday with his wife Antonela Roccuzzo and their children and has remained surrounded by his close family since.
A private ceremony with a few teammates from the Argentine national squad is scheduled to take place at a cemetery in the town of Perez, adjacent to Rosario, later Sunday.
The gates of the town's El Prado cemetery displayed handwritten messages from fans – "Stay strong, Leo, we love you" and "Stay strong, Messi family" – alongside a large floral wreath.
Messi's teammates rallied around their captain following the announcement that Jorge Messi had passed away late Friday at a clinic in Rosario.
