Lionel Messi bids farewell to father who guided his career

Lionel Messi has bid farewell to his father, Jorge Messi, who passed away at the age of 68 after a battle with cancer. Jorge Messi was Lionel's emotional anchor and agent since childhood.

Lionel Messi arrived in Argentina on a private flight from Miami on Saturday with his wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, and their children. A private ceremony was held at a cemetery in the town of Perez, adjacent to Rosario. The gates of the cemetery displayed handwritten messages from fans, including "Stay strong, Leo, we love you" and "Stay strong, Messi family", alongside a large floral wreath.

According to the Dawn and New Straits Times, some of Messi's teammates, including Boca Juniors midfielder Leandro Paredes and Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo de Paul, had expressed their support for Messi during this difficult time. De Paul paid tribute to Messi by taking off his shirt after scoring a goal in a 2-1 defeat to Monterrey in Miami on Saturday. The Free Press Journal reported that Messi and his family left the cemetery after the private farewell ceremony under heavy security.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch, Punch Nigeria, Dawn, Free Press Journal, New Straits Times — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.