Rosario Central continues to lead the Liga Profesional Argentina with 31 points, 8 wins, 7 draws and 1 loss in 16 games. With a 1-point lead over Lanus, the team is looking to maintain its position in the table. In their last game, Gimnasia L.P. lost 1-2 to Rosario Central on February 25, 2026. The team has a streak of 1 win, 0 draws and 4 losses in their last 5 games. Their next game is against Gimnasia L.P. at home on August 29, 2026. In this context, the story of Jorge Messi, Lionel Messi's father, is an inspiring example of supporting the dreams of young footballers. Jorge left his job in Rosario to accompany his son in his dream of becoming a footballer. With the sacrifice that came with it, he began to perceive that that aspiration was possible to see Leo shine in the Club Abanderado Grandoli of Rosario at the beginning of the 1990s. At four years old, when children are just learning the first concepts of the sport, Messi already had it clear how to play and make the rest of his teammates shine. Jorge's role was vital at the time by taking charge of his son's category and catapulting it to success, being that the first big boost that La Pulga received to aim for his dream of becoming a footballer. FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Miami and the Argentine national team, where he won a World Cup, were the teams where he shone and was accompanied by his father. Jorge Messi was born in 1958 and formed a family in Rosario with Celia and their four children: Rodrigo, Matías, Lionel and María Sol. He worked at the Acindar company, a steel mill in Villa Constitución, 40 kilometers from his hometown. While fulfilling that labor that gave economic sustenance to his nucleus, he also spent his time as a football coach, specifically in Lionel's category in Abanderado Grandioli. The passage of games and years began to nourish the illusion that Leo could succeed in the outside world. Without the necessary opportunities in some Argentine clubs, Jorge Messi decided to embark on a life project that included living in Barcelona, the club that would give the opportunity to that young footballer to train and instruct himself in La Masia, the Culé sports complex. From father to legal representative and advisor, the former steelworker accompanied his son's first steps, who, on several occasions, showed the necessary credentials to earn a place in the Barcelona youth divisions.

The story of the napkin that changed the history of football The bond between Lionel Messi and Barcelona was sealed in a napkin. The contract, drafted and signed on December 14, 2000, united the young Rosario player with the Blaugrana institution. Carles Rexach, FC Barcelona's technical secretary, was key in this decision, as he gave in to the incessant requests from the player's family to sign when he was 13 years old. “In Barcelona, on December 14, 2000, and in the presence of Messrs. Minguella and Horacio, Carles Rexach, technical secretary of FC Barcelona, commits under his responsibility and despite some opinions against to sign the player Lionel Messi as long as we maintain the agreed-upon amounts”, wrote Rexach, in his own handwriting, to formally welcome a player who would change the history of Barcelona and football.

Jorge Messi's death and the farewell letter of the footballer Last Saturday, Jorge Messi passed away, but his legacy lives on in Rosario Central.