A soccer superstar has arrived on US shores, but all eyes are on his wife Antonella Roccuzzo, who has become famous in her own right.
But while Messi was finally unveiled at the weekend as the Inter Miami player he played the role of adoring spouse, it hasn’t always been easy for the couple who now share three sons together: Thiago, Matteo and Ciro.
The pair met when they were about five years old back in Argentina. Messi was a childhood friend of Roccuzzo’s cousin, Lucas Scaglia.
It is said that when Messi first laid eyes on his back in the early 90s, he asked: ‘Who is that?’
Lionel Messi was officially unveiled as an Inter Miami player over the weekend, but all eyes were on his wife Antonella Roccuzzo.
‘Antonella, my cousin’ was Scaglia’s reply.
According to Scaglia’s father, Messi ‘couldn’t look away from him for a second.’
He visited the neighborhood for two days and Messi knew immediately that he wanted to be with her forever.
Whenever he stayed at Scaglia’s house, Messi would find an excuse to visit him in the hope that he would see her.
Often, this will be the weekend. He used to write her love letters and told her that she would be his girlfriend when they both grew up.
Roccuzzo watched Messi and his cousin play for Newell’s Old Boys Club in their youth.
As his career blossomed, Messi moved to Barcelona at the age of 13, but the pair remained in touch.
Five years later, tragedy bought them together. Roccuzzo was devastated when her best friend Ursula Notz died in a car accident in 2005.
The pair met when they were about five years old. Messi was a childhood friend of Roccuzzo’s cousin, Lucas Scaglia
According to Scaglia’s father, Messi ‘couldn’t look away from him for a second’
As his career blossomed, Messi moved to Barcelona at the age of 13, but the pair remained in touch.
Messi was so worried about his childhood crush that he went back to Argentina to comfort him.
It was this act of love that brought the pair back together and they soon became a couple.
But the 18-year-old Roccuzzo wasn’t ready to move to Barcelona and stayed in Argentina to get his degree in humanities and social sciences.
He then went on to study postgraduate dentistry at the National University of Rosario, but dropped out after six months to be closer to Messi, according to Vanity Fair España.
The couple’s relationship did not become public until 2009.
In January 2009, on the soccer chat show Hat Trick Barça on Catalan channel TV3, Messi was asked if he was in a relationship.
He replied: ‘Yes, I have a girlfriend. He is in Argentina. The truth is I’m fine and I’m relieved.’
Just a few months later the couple went public during a carnival in Sitges after the Barcelona-Espanyol local derby.
Roccuzzo was devastated when her best friend Ursula Notz died in a car accident in 2005.
The couple’s relationship did not go public until 2009 and they now have three children together
Messi and Roccuzzo tied the knot in 2017 in their hometown of Rosario, Argentina.
It was described as Argentina’s ‘wedding of the century’ and boasted a guest list of 260 including footballers Neymar, Luis Suarez and Gerard Pique.
Roccuzzo eventually moved to Barcelona to be with his footballers and gave up his career aspirations of becoming a dentist to be with Messi.
Messi proposed to his longtime love the following year and welcomed son Thiago two years later.
In 2015, Mateo was born, and the couple married two years later in 2017 – 25 years after they first met – at a luxury hotel in their hometown of Rosario.
It was described as Argentina’s ‘wedding of the century’ and boasted a guest list of 260 including soccer players Neymar, Luis Suarez and Gerard Pique, who arrived on a private jet with his then-partner, Colombian pop star Shakira.
The bride wore a dress by Rosa Clara, a Barcelona-based designer who has dressed actresses Eva Longoria and Queen Letizia of Spain.
A year later the couple had another son, Ciro. Their group also includes two dogs, a French mastiff named Senor Hulk and a more timid cockapoo named Abu.
And the pair’s love lives on, with Messi gushing in 2019: ‘My wife, Antonella, has many qualities. I really admire how she deals with everyday, she is always in a good mood and she approaches problems admirably. He is extremely intelligent and well rounded in all aspects of life.’
The 35-year-old has become a savvy businesswoman, leveraging her more than 36.1 million strong Instagram followers.
She has become one of the most famous women in South America through her philanthropic efforts and owning a children’s fashion label.
The 35-year-old has become a savvy businesswoman, with her more than 36.1 million strong Instagram following
The couple with their children – Ciro, Mateo and Thiago – pictured with them in 2021
Those who know Roccuzzo say he is ‘humble, modest and enjoys nothing more than being at home with his son and his two beloved dogs.’ Photo of the pair in 2010
Messi asking Antonella for his car keys after people started recognizing him at the grocery store is the funniest thing I’ve seen all day ¿¿¿¿ pic.twitter.com/0i9daVXLF2
— R ¿ (@Lionel30i) July 14, 2023
Those who know Roccuzzo say he is ‘humble, modest and enjoys nothing more than being at home with his son and his two beloved dogs.’
Thirty years later, the couple share several homes, including a $13 million mansion just outside Barcelona with views of the beautiful Catalan mountains and Mediterranean coast.
There are others in Ibiza, Miami and their hometown of Rosario, Argentina. There they have a house called The Fortress with 25 rooms, including a playroom for sons Thiago, Mateo and Ciro.
According to friends, where Messi plans to retire. And it will take the handsome couple back full circle to when they met in 1993.
While Messi is believed to have been offered a $60 million-a-year contract with Inter Miami, Roccuzzo sees him as a social media influencer.
Businesses are falling over themselves to sign him up to plug their products in exchange for huge pay checks.
These include Alo Yoga, Dolce & Gabbana, Guerlain, Dior and Louis Vuitton.
Read Full News Here