The Argentine superstar married his childhood sweetheart in 2017 and their young family currently calls Paris home
Lionel Messi left his hometown of Rosario as a child to join Barcelona, but his ties to the city remain strong.
None stronger than his long-term relationship with Antonella Roccuzzova, with whom he grew up side by side in Argentina and now shares three children with. Messi first confirmed he had a girlfriend in 2009 and they headed home to get married in a star-studded ceremony on 30 June 2017.
But who is Lionel Messi wife Antonella Roccuzzova and how did she meet the seven-time winner of the Ballon d’Or? GOAL brings you everything you need to know about Messi’s main confidant.
Who is Antonella Roccuzzo?
Born in Rosario, like Messi, Roccuzzo is the cousin of the Paris Saint-Germain star’s childhood friend Lucas Scaglia.
Messi has a reputation as a shy person – especially as a youngster – but is said to have been smitten with Antonella from a young age and regularly visited Scaglia’s family home just to have the chance to see her.
She attended university in Argentina – studying odontology before switching to social communication – and then moved to Barcelona to be with Leo. She has probably been focused on raising the couple’s three sons – Thiago, Mateo and Ciro – for the past few years, but she has her own line of shoes that was launched in collaboration with Sofia Balbi, Luis Suarez’s wife.
According to Infobae, Antonella’s relationship with Leo blossomed after Messi returned to Rosario to comfort her after the death of a friend in a car accident. That was said to be sometime in 2007, but their association was private for years.
In general, Lionel Messi wife Antonella has continued to stay out of the limelight – although she has amassed more than 19 million followers on Instagram.
The 34-year-old is close to Suarez’s wife Sofia and Cesc Fabregas’ girlfriend Daniella Semaan.
How many children does Lionel Messi have?
Leo and Lionel Messi wife Antonella have three sons; Thiago – born on November 2, 2012 – Mateo – who was born on September 11, 2015 – and Ciro – who was welcomed into the world on March 10, 2018.
Messi has tributes to his children tattooed on his body and also has their names on his boots. The obviously proud father also regularly shares pictures of the family on his Instagram account.
When did Messi and Antonella get married?
Messi and Roccuzzo, who had been a couple for roughly nine years and had two children together during that time, finally tied the knot on June 30, 2017, in a ceremony in their hometown of Rosario.
A number of Messi’s club and international team-mates attended the City Centre, a hotel and casino complex, to help celebrate the big day.
The wedding was guarded by a huge team of security personnel led by a former Argentinian military officer, while fans were able to watch live coverage of the ceremony nearby.
There was also talk of a smaller ceremony to be held in Barcelona for those unable to make the trip to South America, but these details have not been confirmed.
Lionel Messi and his wife Antonella lived together in Catalonia until a shock move to Paris was made in the summer of 2021.
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