Lionel Messi became emotional during Argentina's World Cup win, and it appears the reason for his tears goes beyond football.
Father's Health Struggles
Lionel Messi's father Jorge is battling a serious health issue, according to a source close to the situation. The 39-year-old defied his age to lead Argentina to a crucial win in their opening World Cup fixture. The Inter Miami midfielder carries enormous expectations on his shoulders, with his nation arriving as defending champions. He netted three crucial goals to ensure Argentina's title defence began in the most impressive fashion.
It was clear that something beyond football was weighing heavily on his mind during the match. When he broke the deadlock in Argentina's 3-0 triumph over Algeria, he broke down in tears on the pitch.
Messi's Emotional Admission
Speaking after the final whistle, when pressed on his emotional reaction, he said: "No, honestly it's something completely unrelated to sports. It's been a few difficult days, complicated." He also added: "I had some difficult, complicated days, but I'm grateful to the entire delegation, to all my team-mates because they were always by my side, as always, giving me a lot of strength to be okay, and that's all."
Journalist's Revelation
Shortly afterward, sports journalist Eduardo Feinmann disclosed on one of Argentina's most widely-heard radio stations, Radio Mitre, that Messi's father is ill. He said: "This has to do with his father. His father is not in good health. For quite some time now, several months, since last year. And this week there were some situations that slightly worsened his health, and Messi is going through this internal struggle. In other words, like any human being."
Medical Episode
It has also been reported that Jorge suffered a "medical episode" in January while at home, which led to him being hospitalised. Further reports suggest he has since undergone both cardiovascular and neurological tests, though no diagnosis has yet been confirmed.
Father's Influence
Messi's father has been an enormous influence on his son's footballing career and continues to work alongside his son behind the scenes. Jorge remains the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner's agent and business manager. Messi has three siblings, all born to his mother Celia Cuccittini and Jorge. His parents have been married since 1978 and remain together, splitting their time between Miami and Rosario. Prior to taking charge of Messi's football career and business empire, Jorge worked in steel manufacturing.
World Cup Milestone
Had Messi's father been well enough to watch the match, he would have witnessed his celebrated son draw level with Miroslav Klose at the top of the all-time World Cup goal-scoring charts with 16. The Argentina captain found the net on four occasions, though his first was ruled out for offside after he had strayed marginally ahead of the Algeria defensive line before the ball was played.
