Lionel Messi and his family have asked the media for “humanity” amid rumours about his father, Jorge Messi’s, health.
Messi confirmed in a statement that his father is undergoing medical treatment for an undisclosed illness.
The family did not specify the illness that the 68-year-old Jorge Messi is suffering from.
“Jorge is going through a health situation,” the Messi family said in a statement.
“He is currently under medical observation, recovering and progressing favourably within his current condition.”
Lionel Messi is hoping to lead Argentina to back-to-back World Cups. (Getty Images: FIFA/Alex Pantling)
The 39-year-old Messi said after Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Algeria in the team’s opening World Cup match that he was going through a difficult personal situation.
He was very emotional after scoring the first of his three goals, which allowed him to equal Miroslav Klose as the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history with 16 goals.
“My tears after the first goal? I’ve had some tough days. It wasn’t related to soccer. And those feelings were because of that,” Messi said.
“I thank my teammates, the coaching staff and the delegation for helping me.”
The family statement, released by Messi’s media office, came on the same day that reports of Jorge Messi’s death circulated in Argentina.
“At times like these, we ask for responsibility, prudence and humanity,” the family said.
“A person’s health and the peace of mind of their loved ones should not be the subject of speculation or irresponsible media interest.”
The statement said the family would communicate any further developments.
Jorge Messi played a key role in his third son’s career, acting as his agent and managing his business affairs off the field.
He accompanied the young Messi to Barcelona in the early 2000s for a tryout at La Masia, the Spanish club’s youth academy.
Lionel Messi scored three for Argentina against Algeria. (Getty Images: Charlotte Wilson)
His father also negotiated Messi’s contracts with Barcelona and later his transfers to Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami, while managing his son’s image rights and several investments in real estate, hotels, and restaurants.
In 2016, Messi and his father were convicted in Spain on tax evasion charges but avoided prison time because the sentence was less than two years.
While Messi is with his teammates at Argentina’s base camp in Kansas City awaiting their second group match against Austria on Monday in Dallas, his family expressed their “sincere gratitude for the outpouring of affection, respect and concern received”.
“We request that the privacy and confidentiality of Jorge and his entire family be respected during this process,” the statement said.
AP
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