Messi misses out on 'Miami' in the Leagues Cup to bid farewell to his late father

Lionel Messi arrived in Argentina to bid farewell to his father and business agent, Jorge Messi, his steadfast support throughout the difficult years the global star endured during his adolescence at Barcelona, ahead of the funeral services.

The Argentine star missed his team Inter Miami’s match in a 2-1 defeat to Mexican visitors Monterrey in the Leagues Cup, after the announcement of his father’s death following a battle with illness.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner’s father died on Friday night into Saturday at the age of 68 in a clinic in the city of Rosario.

Jorge Messi’s funeral is scheduled to be held in a private family ceremony in the nearby town of Berisso, close to his birthplace of Rosario, north of Buenos Aires, with Lionel and family members in attendance, according to local official sources cited by Agence France-Presse.