Lionel Messi buried his father, Jorge Messi, on Sunday at the El Prado cemetery in Pérez, a town about twenty-five minutes from downtown Rosario, Argentina. As the family kept the funeral private, an old anecdote that Messi's mother, Celia Cuccittini, told on television more than fifteen years ago began circulating again online.
According to that story, the Argentine captain's name is spelled the way it is because Jorge Messi decided on his own at the civil registry office, without telling his wife, who had preferred the name Leonel.
How Jorge Messi died
Jorge Messi died on Saturday, August 8, at two in the morning at the Sanatorio Centro, at the age of 68, after a long illness. The clinic released a statement that same morning signed by its medical director, Carlos Mackey, confirming the death and declining to give further details out of respect for the family's privacy.
Family gathers in Rosario
Lionel Messi flew urgently from Fort Lauderdale and landed in Rosario at around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, accompanied by his wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, and their sons Thiago, Mateo and Ciro. There he reunited with his mother and his siblings, Rodrigo, Matías and María Sol.
The funeral began around nine on Sunday morning and ended at midday. Barriers were set up for several blocks around the cemetery, the Santa Fe police provided security, and organizers specifically asked the press not to use drones. Inter Miami released Messi from its Leagues Cup match against Monterrey, and his teammate Rodrigo De Paul celebrated his own goal in the 32nd minute by lifting his shirt to reveal a number 10 jersey bearing Messi's surname underneath.
The 2010 TV interview
The naming story dates back to 2010, when Lionel was turning 23 and the hosts of Telefe's AM program, Vero Lozano and Leo Montero, called Celia Cuccittini to mark the occasion. She recalled the details of the day he was born and made the confession that is now being shared again: they had no name picked out for him, she had always liked Leonel, but when Jorge went to register the birth he wrote Lionel instead, and she said she nearly killed him for it. Several outlets have suggested the name was inspired by the American singer Lionel Richie, though accounts differ on which parent came up with the idea. Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini was born on June 24, 1987, in Rosario, the third of the couple's four children.
From Acindar to Barcelona
Before managing his son's finances and representing him around the world, Jorge Messi worked as an operator at the Acindar steelworks in Rosario, while Celia worked shifts at a magnet factory. He coached in the youth ranks of Abanderado Grandoli, the club where his son started playing, and years later pushed for the family's move to Barcelona so Lionel could join the Spanish club's youth academy and continue the medical treatment he needed at age 13. A family friend recalled to the newspaper La Nación a phrase Jorge often repeated to visitors who found a Sunday barbecue with the whole table full in Rosario: that they were a middle-class family and he had always wanted it to stay that way.
Tears in Kansas City
Jorge Messi's illness became public in mid-June, just as Argentina opened its campaign at the World Cup being held in the United States, Canada and Mexico. On June 16 in Kansas City, Lionel Messi scored all three goals in a 3-0 win over Algeria, matching Miroslav Klose's record of 16 goals as the tournament's all-time top scorer. After his first goal, he covered his face with his jersey and broke down on the pitch. Speaking after the match, he said the tears had nothing to do with football, that he had been through a few difficult, complicated days, and that he was grateful to his teammates, the coaching staff and the delegation. The family then issued a statement saying Jorge was under medical observation and asking for respect for what it called a strictly private matter. Neither Jorge nor Celia Cuccittini traveled to the United States for the tournament, unlike in previous World Cups.
