Messi's family couldn't afford his growth hormone treatment, so Barcelona paid for it instead
Lionel Messi's family faced a crisis that nearly ended one of football's greatest careers before it began. At around ten years old, Messi was diagnosed with Growth Hormone Deficiency — and the monthly injections his body needed cost more than his parents could pay. Faced with mounting medical expenses to treat a growth hormone condition, Messi's family accepted an offer to move the 13-year-old prodigy to FC Barcelona, which would pay for his treatment. That deal changed football history.
Source: Getty Images
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Lionel Andrés Messi was born on 24 June 1987 in Rosario, Argentina, to Jorge Messi and Celia Cuccittini.
- At around age 10–11, Messi was diagnosed with Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD); treatment cost an estimated $900–$1,000 per month.
- Barcelona agreed to fund his treatment after signing him to La Masia at age 13; River Plate and Newell's Old Boys had both declined to cover the cost.
- Messi has three siblings: brothers Rodrigo and Matías, and younger sister María Sol.
- His father, Jorge Horacio Messi, died on 8 August 2026 aged 68, after a prolonged illness.
Profile summary
Detail | Lionel Messi |
Full name | Lionel Andrés Messi |
Date of birth | 24 June 1987 |
Place of birth | Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina |
Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) |
Parents | Jorge Horacio Messi (1958–2026); Celia María Cuccittini |
Siblings | Rodrigo Messi, Matías Messi, María Sol Messi |
Spouse | Antonella Roccuzzo (married June 2017) |
Children | Thiago (b. 2012), Mateo (b. 2015), Ciro (b. 2018) |
Current club | Inter Miami |
Net worth | $850 million – $1.1 billion (est.) |
Is Lionel Messi from a rich family?
Far from it. Lionel Messi and his siblings grew up in Rosario, a city 186 miles northwest of Buenos Aires, living in a two-storey home on the Calle Lavalleja, near the Paraná River.
Jorge worked as a steel factory manager in Rosario and coached his son at local club Grandoli. Celia was employed at a magnet manufacturing workshop. They were a working-class family — not destitute, but far from able to absorb an unforeseen medical bill that would run for years.
How Barcelona's $900 investment changed everything
Messi was clearly smaller than other children his age around 10. Eventually, he was diagnosed with a medical condition called Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD) — a lack of growth hormone in the body that affects normal physical development.
Source: Getty Images
Once GHD was diagnosed, Messi began an intensive period of synthetic growth hormone therapy. He had to receive regular injections, sometimes nightly, essential to his normal development.
The therapy is estimated to have cost between $900 and $1,000 per month — far more than his family could afford. River Plate and Newell's Old Boys, storied Argentinian clubs, passed on that expense despite the promise of a very young Messi.
Barcelona saw his potential and not only let him join the club's famed youth academy, La Masia, but also paid for the rest of his medical treatment after he arrived in Spain at age 13.
Over time, Messi grew to about 5 feet 7 inches (170 cm). Most importantly, the therapy helped him build normal bone density and muscle development, giving him the physical foundation to play at the highest level.
Barcelona's sporting director Carles Rexach was so worried about losing Messi to another club that during a lunch meeting, with no formal papers around, he grabbed a napkin and wrote the agreement on it. That napkin, scribbled on at a restaurant table in 2000, sold at auction in 2024 for $965,000.
Does Lionel Messi have a dad? Jorge Messi's life and death
What did Messi's dad work as?
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Jorge acted as his son's manager throughout his career, after working as a chemical technician and steelworker. He began working as Lionel's agent when Lionel was fourteen.
He played football as a midfielder and reached the youth ranks of Newell's Old Boys, but had to abandon the sport to complete his mandatory military service in Argentina. He secured Lionel's first Barcelona contract and became his agent.
Jorge was the quiet architect behind the career. Although Lionel won eight Ballon d'Or awards and collected trophies with Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Miami, and Argentina, Jorge said the family valued his character more than his achievements: "What makes me proud is who Leo is as a person," Jorge said in Bruno Pisano's book My Son the Soccer Player.
In a rare public comment, Jorge told German magazine Kicker in 2013, as reported by The Daily Star:
The day Leo stops playing, I think a dream will shatter for me, and I won't watch football anymore
And Lionel reflected on their bond in a 2007 interview with Radio del Plata, as reported by ESPN :
My dad was always by my side. Sometimes I would lock myself in my room to cry when we arrived in Barcelona, or my dad would do the same without me knowing.
Jorge Messi's cause of death and funeral
Source: Getty Images
Jorge Horacio Messi (24 April 1958 – 8 August 2026) was an Argentine businessman and sports agent. CONMEBOL, the Argentine Football Association (AFA), and the Messi family issued official confirmation of his passing and a statement to Reuters, while clubs like Rosario-based Club Atlético Newell's Old Boys posted social media tributes honouring his memory. He had undergone treatment in recent months for an unspecified illness.
His illness became a topic of discussion during the 2026 World Cup, when his family acknowledged a health situation as Lionel Messi competed. Lionel Messi, aged 39, had attributed his emotional displays early in the tournament to a family situation.
The funeral was held in a private ceremony in the town of Pérez, near Rosario. On 12 August 2026, Lionel Messi published an open letter on Instagram paying tribute to his father, revealing the immense emotional toll of playing through the 2026 World Cup while his father's health deteriorated from a distance.
Lionel Messi's mum: Celia Cuccittini
Source: Getty Images
Messi's mother, Celia María Cuccittini, says the Inter Miami star was named after American singer Lionel Richie, just before his birth in Rosario, Argentina. The story goes that Messi's father, Jorge, reportedly didn't know about the name change until he saw the birth certificate.
Celia has continued cheering for Lionel while also helping with the Leo Messi Foundation and some of his personal affairs. In the run-up to the 2026 World Cup, she told El Diario de Mariana in 2018, per ESPN:
I wished him a lot of luck. I told him to enjoy himself, to live in the moment and be happy. I told him to do what he knows, to play just as if he was playing when he started out with Grandoli. All the family here is supporting him.
Lionel Messi's siblings
How many siblings does Messi have?
Lionel is the third of four children. He has two older brothers, Rodrigo and Matías, and a younger sister, María Sol.
Source: Getty Images
- Rodrigo Messi — Rodrigo manages Lionel's daily schedule and public relations.
- Matías Messi — Works with the Leo Messi Foundation and helps with logistics.
- María Sol Messi — Continues to head design and brand direction for The Messi Store while remaining actively involved in family business projects, including Lionel's production company, 525 Rosario.
María Sol became engaged to her childhood friend Julián "Tuli" Arellano in January 2024. Arellano also coaches Inter Miami's under-19 team. The couple planned to marry in Rosario in January 2026 but postponed the ceremony after María Sol suffered serious injuries in a December 2025 car accident in Miami.
In 2018, Messi told Marca:
I love football and I live for it, but family is above all
Is Messi related to Sergio Agüero?
Source: Getty Images
No — but they are exceptionally close. Messi and Sergio Agüero are not biologically related; however, they are close friends, and Lionel Messi is the godfather of Agüero's son Benjamín.
In the foreword for Agüero's book, Messi wrote:
I can clearly remember the first day that I saw Kun, that moment has remained etched in my memory. Back then I didn't know who he was or even what he was called. We roomed together at the Under-20 World Cup in Holland and we hit it off really well.
Agüero once joked about their friendship, saying:
Messi and I have been together since we were 17 years old. We are already 32 and 33 years old — we are like a worn-out married couple.
Latest news: Messi retires from Argentina and mourns his father
The Argentina football player Lionel Messi retired from international football on 31 August 2026, ending a legendary Argentina career. His retirement followed Argentina's World Cup final defeat and his father's recent death.
Source: Getty Images
Following his father's death, Messi admitted that the loss left him with doubts about continuing his professional football career. He continues to play club football for Inter Miami.
Earlier this year, all football games in Argentina observed a moment of silence for Jorge Messi, and players wore black armbands. UNICEF wrote:
We regret the passing of Jorge Messi, father of our Goodwill Ambassador Lionel Messi and a person always committed to the rights of boys and girls.
Lionel Messi's net worth
Messi has ranked among the world's five highest-paid athletes for 13 years straight and now has a net worth of $1.1 billion, according to Forbes estimates. Celebrity Net Worth places his net worth at $1 billion. GIVEMESPORT and Parade estimate $850 million.
Source: Getty Images
Sources of wealth include:
- Football salary — $28.3 million in guaranteed compensation for the 2026 MLS season, making him by far the highest-paid player in Major League Soccer.
- Endorsements — His most important long-term sponsor is Adidas, which has backed him since 2006 and built an entire Messi-branded boot line around him.
- Real estate — He has a real estate portfolio worth more than $200 million, including luxury homes in Barcelona, Miami, and Rosario.
- Business ventures — Including the MiM Hotels hospitality brand and 525 Rosario, his production company.
FAQs
- Does Lionel Messi have a dad? Yes — his father was Jorge Horacio Messi. Jorge died on 8 August 2026 at age 68 following a prolonged illness in Rosario, Argentina.
- What did Messi's dad work as? Jorge was a chemical technician and steelworker who later became Messi's agent and business manager, a role he held from the time Lionel was 14.
- Why couldn't Messi's family afford his treatment? The growth hormone injections Messi needed cost an estimated $900–$1,000 per month — beyond the means of a working-class family in Rosario. Barcelona agreed to cover the costs as a condition of signing him.
- Is Lionel Messi from a rich family? No. Messi grew up in a modest working-class household in Rosario, where his father managed a steel factory, and his mother worked in a magnet workshop.
- Is Messi related to Sergio Agüero? No. They are not biologically related. They are close friends and teammates, and Messi is the godfather of Agüero's son Benjamín.
- How many siblings does Messi have? Three: older brothers Rodrigo and Matías, and younger sister María Sol.
- How old is Messi's sister? María Sol Messi is Lionel's younger sister, born after 1987. Her exact birth year is not publicly confirmed.
- Who is Lionel Messi's mum? Celia María Cuccittini — the woman who, without telling Jorge, named her son after singer Lionel Richie.
Quick facts
- Lionel Andrés Messi was born on 24 June 1987 in Rosario, Argentina.
- He holds a record eight Ballon d'Or awards.
- Barcelona paid for his growth hormone injections — estimated at $900–$1,000 a month — from age 13.
- He retired from international football on 31 August 2026 after Argentina's defeat in the 2026 World Cup final.
- He is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and co-founded the Leo Messi Foundation to support vulnerable children.
Messi's family faced a difficult decision when they could no longer afford his costly growth hormone treatment. Their move to Spain led Barcelona to cover the treatment and give young Lionel Messi a chance to develop his remarkable talent. That support became an important part of the story behind one of football's greatest careers.
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Source: Legit.ng
