Why Did Lionel Messi Cry After Scoring World Cup Goal? Insider Reveals Serious Health Problem’ that Left Argentine Superstar Devastated

Lionel Messi’s emotional tears during the World Cup were triggered by a serious health scare involving his father, Jorge. Messi shares a very close bond with his father, 68, who also serves as his agent and de facto manager, overseeing his son’s business affairs and off-field ventures.

However, Jorge has been battling serious health problems lately, details of which emerged in the Argentine media after Messi’s rare public display of emotion. The story emerged on Tuesday after Messi was seen in tears on the pitch in Kansas City moments after scoring his first World Cup hat-trick, helping Argentina secure a 3-0 win over Algeria in their opening World Cup match.

Too Close to His Father

Speaking after the match, Messi explained that his emotions had nothing to do with football. “No, honestly it’s something completely unrelated to sports. It’s been a few difficult days, complicated,” he said.

Just hours later, journalist Eduardo Feinmann discussed the reason behind Messi’s tears during an interview on Radio Mitre, one of Argentina’s most widely listened-to radio stations.

“This has to do with his father. His father is not in good health,” he said. “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.”

Reports indicate that Jorge Messi suffered a medical emergency at his home in January and was subsequently hospitalized.

Following the incident, he reportedly underwent a series of cardiovascular and neurological examinations. However, the Messi family has not disclosed any official diagnosis and has largely kept details of Jorge’s health private until now.

Lionel Messi is the third of four children born to Jorge Messi and Celia Cuccittini. The couple, who married in 1978, remain together and divide their time between Rosario and Miami, where their son currently plays.

Life Dedicated to Son

Before becoming Lionel’s agent and managing his business affairs, Jorge worked for a steel manufacturing company in Villa Constitución. He met Celia while they were young and living in Rosario, where they later raised their family.

Messi has two older brothers, Rodrigo and Matias, as well as a younger sister, Maria Sol. It is unclear whether Jorge has any grandchildren besides the three children Lionel shares with his wife, Antonela Roccuzzo — Thiago, Mateo, and Ciro.

On Tuesday night in Kansas City, Messi found the net four times, although one of his efforts was disallowed for offside. His performance served as another reminder that he remains one of the world’s elite players.

With Antonela and their children watching from the stands, Messi showed he is determined to build on the World Cup success he achieved in 2022.

After the match, he said: “I had some difficult, complicated days, but I’m grateful to the entire delegation, to all my teammates because they were always by my side, as always, giving me a lot of strength to be okay, and that’s all.”

Messi did not go into detail about the challenges he had been facing. Instead, he reflected on what he described as an “amazing” experience as he marked his 200th appearance for Argentina.

Messi moved level with former Germany striker Miroslav Klose at the top of the World Cup’s all-time scoring list, taking his tally to 16 goals.