Greatest love of all time: Meet Antonela Roccuzzo, the woman who never left Messi’s side

Here's looking back at a childhood relationship that bloomed into something so much bigger for the star player

The GOAT (Greatest of All Times) in the world of sports, Lionel Messi, has decided to draw the curtains over his football career after becoming the world champion. The Argentina football sensation announced through his country’s media agency Diario Deportivo Ole that the Qatar FIFA World Cup was not just his last world cup, but also his final stint at the game.

Argentina won the FIFA World 2022 finals on Sunday, December 18, in an exemplary fashion, beating France 4-2 in a penalty shootout after Messi scored twice in a 3-3 draw that featured a hat-trick for France’s Kylian Mbappe.

Now, as the Barcelona team sensation retires after over two decades, let’s take a look at how his love story with his spouse, Antonela Roccuzzo, fuelled not just his career but also carved the great personality he is today.

How it started

Messi and Antonela met each other as five-year-olds. Antonela was a friend of Messi’s cousin and they frequently met to play. Messi was quite an introvert but he always came out of his shell for Antonela. The two played with other kids on the streets of Argentina and became best friends in the process. They remained in touch ever since.

Reunited by tragedy

Messi was 11 when he was diagnosed with a growth hormone disorder that could hinder his dream of playing football professionally. His father, Jorge Messi, left no stone unturned to get him enrolled in an under-14 soccer team. Messi left for Spain after the under-14 FC Barcelona division signed him. While there was no looking back for him professionally, Antonela lost her best friend in a car crash, and Messi booked a flight back to Argentina to be with her. The friends reunited, a love story bloomed and with that, so did Messi’s football career.

When two became five

The couple announced in June 2012, that they were pregnant with their first child. Antonela gave birth to their son, Thiago Messi in November 2012. The duo welcomed their second child, Mateo, in September 2015, and their third child in March 2018. They named him Ciro.

Wedding of the century

Antonela decided to peruse dentistry while doing her bachelor's in humanities and social sciences. However, she left school so that she could be closer to Messi, who was living in Barcelona at the time for his career. Messi and Antonela got married on June 30, 2017, in their hometown, Rosario, in Argentina. They got married at the City Center hotel, with over 260 guests, which included some of Messi’s teammates from his football team. Their wedding ceremony was touted the ‘wedding of the century’.

How it’s going

As Messi plays his career-best football in his farewell world cup matches, Antonela is right there cheering for him on, as always. She keeps sharing significant moments from each of Messi’s games on her social media. In a recent press conference after his team’s win at a quarter-final match, Messi told reporters, “My family is always present. My spouse and my children are there no matter what and seeing them happy today is the most wonderful thing.”

After Argentina won the FIFA World Cup 2022, Antonela, proud of her husband’s hard work, penned a heartfelt note to congratulate him. She said, “I don’t even know how to voice that greater pride we feel for you. Thanks for teaching us never to give up. We have to fight it to the end. Finally, you are the world champion, we know what you suffered for so many years, we know how much wanted to achieve this. Let’s go Argentina!”

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