Lionel Messi created a fan frenzy in Kolkata with his presence. However, in his real life, the legendary football player is happily married to Antonela Rocuzzo.
Legendary footballer, Lionel Messi, along with Luis Suarez and Rodrygo de Paul, are in Kolkata as a part of the GOAT 2025 Tour. Fans in Kolkata had flocked in thousands at Salt Lake Stadium to watch Argentina's World Cup-winning captain, Lionel Messi. However, they were disappointed as they could not get to see their favourite Argentine football player. Fans had taken tickets worth Rs. 5000 to Rs. 25,000, but Messi fans had a messy experience at the stands. They threw chairs, bottles at the event management due to which organisers were forced to take Messi away.
Beyond Lionel Messi's celebrated professional achievements, his love story with his wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, is also very interesting. The love story of the pair is straight out of a fairytale. Antonela and Lionel Messi have had the greatest love story of all time. Interestingly, both of them had known each other since childhood, and their love story had started way before they had realised it.
According to a report by Vanity Fair Espana, Lionel was just 5 when he met Antonela Roccuzzo. She was the cousin of Lucas Scaglia, who is the best friend of Lionel Messi and also played football for a youth team. Ever since Lionel saw Antonela, he was mesmerised by her charm. Reportedly, he started spending more time with Lucas's family to be close to Antonela. Lionel and Antonela's stage for romance was set long ago he received global stardom. Back then, they were very young to understand what was special related to their connection.
Neither Lionel nor Antonela could predict that they were already destined to be together. However, Lionel lost contact with Antonela when he moved to Barcelona at the age of 13. Both of them grew up in the same town, Rosario, Argentina, but Lionel had to move to Barcelona, and during his teenage years, he stayed in touch with Antonela. Reportedly, in 2005, when Antonela lost her best friend in a car accident, Messi went back home to support her.
Antonela was in Argentina, studying the social sciences and humanities. It was in 2005 when she and Lionel reconnected after she lost her bestie in a car accident. Messi had come to comfort her, marking an important milestone in their relationship. The couple went public in 2009 when Lionel confirmed his relationship for the first time. He had come on the football chat show called Hat Trick Barca on the Catalan channel TV3. When he was asked if he was in a relationship, Messi said:
"Yes, I have a girlfriend. She is in Argentina. The truth is that I am well and I am relaxed."
Lionel and Antonela have been together since 2009. They kept their relationship low-key and private at the start. The couple had a well-guarded wedding ceremony at Messi's Argentine hometown, located in Rosario. Lionel and Antonella tied the knot on June 30, 2017, and according to a report by The Screen, top footballers worldwide flew to the Argentinian city to be in Messi's wedding, which was the wedding of the decade.
Reportedly, 250 guests had flown to the luxurious hotel, and the guest list included Neymar, Luis Suarez, and Gerard Piqué. Gerard's then-wife, pop star Shakira. Lionel and Antonella's wedding saw 150 journalists, but they were not allowed to cover the wedding ceremony or even the after-party. Both Lionel and Antonella were very private during the start of their relationship, but when it became official, their cuteness on social media was unmissable.
Lionel Messi and Antonella Roccuzzo have been blessed with three boys whose names are- Thiago, Mateo, and Ciro. Antonela does not speak much about her kids on the social media, earlier in an interview with FC Barcelona, Lionel had spoken about fatherhood. He shared of how his perspective towards life changed after his kids entered his life and revealed:
"You grow and you learn. You gather experience in all aspects of life, on and off the field. But, as a human being, having three children changed my perspective on life, my way of thinking and it also helped me grow."
The couple was blessed with their first son in 2012, and Lionel had shared how his son was the most important thing for him. His life changed in many different ways as his son came before everything else. Messi had spoken about the same in an interview with El Periódico de Catalunya. It was in 2015 when Messi and Antonela's second son arrived in 2015. Messi had earlier revealed of what quality he liked in his wife and shared:
"She has many good qualities: how she gets by on a daily basis; her personality — she is always in a good mood, and she always faces up to problems in an admirable way. She is a very intelligent person who is great in all aspects of life.”
What are your views on the love story of Lionel Messi and Antonela Roccuzzo?
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