Since he was 9 years old, Messi was attracted to his wife from the first moment and, despite facing geographical obstacles for many years, their hearts remained connected.

Lionel Messi, 35, is hailed as one of the greatest footballers of all time, scoring goals continuously in Barcelona colours before moving to PSG. On December 18, he won the most prestigious trophy for a footballer, the World Cup, held in Qatar, alongside his Argentine teammates. Alongside his successful career, he has also found happy love with his wife Antonela Roccuzzo, who happens to be his childhood sweetheart.

Love blossomed in the summer.

Lionel Messi and Antonela Roccuzzo met as children in Rosario, Argentina, thanks to their mutual friend Lucas Scaglia. Both Messi and Lucas were players for Newell’s Old Boys, a youth football league, and they developed a close friendship. Lucas, who is Antonela’s cousin, invited Messi to spend a summer holiday with his family. It was during this time that nine-year-old Lionel and eight-year-old Antonela met for the first time.

At the time, Lionel and Antonela used to play in the street with their friends, just like many other children their age. However, at the age of 11, Messi was diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency, which directly threatened his dream of becoming a professional footballer. His father, Jorge Messi, did everything he could to secure a contract with a football club for Messi and cover the costs of his treatment.

Parting of the ways due to individual ideals.

Because in order to pursue his lifelong dream, Messi moved to Spain and signed a youth contract with FC Barcelona. During his years there, Messi established himself within the club and quickly became one of the most iconic figures in football history. However, he couldn’t help but think of Antonela, who stayed in Rosario.

Messi once mentioned in an interview: “When we were young, we were attracted to each other, like love at first sight. Then I came to Barcelona, so we separated. It was a challenge to stay in touch and we could only communicate through phone calls.”

According to Vanity Fair, while Messi left to pursue his career, Antonela studied dentistry and earned a degree in Social and Human Sciences from the National University of Rosario. In 2005, when Antonela was 18, she had to face a major loss in her life when her closest friend died in a car accident.

reunion love

By this point, Antonela was emotionally exhausted. Upon hearing the heartbreaking news, Messi immediately booked a flight to Argentina. They reunited and together began planning for the future. Antonela made the decision to leave her old life behind and move to Castelldefels, Barcelona, Spain, to live with Messi. This milestone marked the beginning of their life together as a married couple. However, it would be four years before they publicly acknowledged their relationship to the world.

In June 2012, they announced the happy news that they were expecting their first child. On November 2, 2012, their son Thiago Messi was born. As Messi’s career continued to flourish, so did his family. On September 11, 2015, their second son, Mateo, was born. On June 30, 2017, they tied the knot and celebrated their wedding in their hometown of Rosario. The ceremony took place at the City Center hotel and was attended by over 260 guests, including football stars Dani Alves, Gerard Piqué, Neymar, Sergio Agüero, Samuel Eto’o, Carles Puyol, Xavi Hernández and singer Shakira.

Messi once spoke about his wife to FC Barcelona and said: “My wife, Antonela, has many incredible qualities. I really admire how she handles her daily tasks. She always has a positive attitude and knows how to approach things. She is very intelligent and well-rounded in all aspects of life.” On March 11, 2018, their third child, Ciro, was born.

As a father, Messi shared: “You grow and you learn. You accumulate experiences in all aspects of life, on and off the pitch. But as a person, having three children has changed my perspective on life, my way of thinking and it has also helped me mature.”

He added: “Even though we have very little time to relax at home with the three children, my wife and I always try to enjoy every moment with them, whether it is watching TV, playing games or anything else. We love being at home and savouring these moments.”