Jorge was crucial behind the scenes in his son’s prolific career. He coached Messi during his early years at a local club in Rosario and saw him through the period when he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency as a child.

Jorge then travelled with the then-13-year-old Lionel to Barcelona where the latter joined the club’s famed youth system. Barcelona subsequently covered the cost of his treatment and just three years later, Messi made his senior debut for the Catalan giants. Jorge went on to become his son’s representative as he quickly went about establishing himself among the best of his generation, and eventually being recognised among the greatest players of all time.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo on Tuesday married his longtime partner, model and influencer Georgina Rodriguez, in a civil ceremony in Portugal. Ronaldo, 41, posted an image on his Instagram account showing the couple’s hands, wearing wedding rings.

Portuguese media labelled the ceremony the ‘wedding of the year’, reporting that the couple tied the knot on 11 August in the coastal town of Cascais near the national capital, Lisbon.

Ronaldo and the Argentina-born Rodriguez have been together for a decade since their first meeting during the football superstar’s stint with Spanish football giants Real Madrid. Ronaldo met Rodriguez at a Gucci outlet in Madrid where she was working at the time.