DALLAS (AP) 鈥� Lionel Messi’s father is undergoing medical treatment for an undisclosed illness and his family asked the media for 鈥渉umanity鈥� on Thursday amid rumors about Jorge Messi’s health while his son competes at the .
The family did not specify the illness that the 68-year-old Jorge Messi is suffering from.
鈥淛orge is going through a health situation,鈥� the Messi family said in a statement. 鈥淗e is currently under medical observation, recovering and progressing favorably within his current condition.鈥�
The 38-year-old Messi said after 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.
鈥淢y tears after the first goal? I鈥檝e had some tough days. It wasn鈥檛 related to soccer. And those feelings were because of that,鈥� Messi said. 鈥淚 thank my teammates, the coaching staff and the delegation for helping me.鈥�
The family statement, released by Messi鈥檚 media office, came on the same day that reports of Jorge Messi鈥檚 death circulated in Argentina.
鈥淎t times like these, we ask for responsibility, prudence and humanity,鈥� the family said. 鈥淎 person鈥檚 health and the peace of mind of their loved ones should not be the subject of speculation or irresponsible media interest.鈥�
The statement said any further developments would be communicated by the family.
Jorge Messi played a key role in his third son鈥檚 soccer 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鈥檚 youth academy.
His father also negotiated Messi’s contracts with Barcelona and then his transfers to Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami, while also managing his son鈥檚 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 鈥渟incere gratitude for the outpouring of affection, respect and concern received.鈥�
鈥淲e request that the privacy and confidentiality of Jorge and his entire family be respected during this process,鈥� the statement said.
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