As Lionel Messi sailed passed Croatia's defence to land Argentina a place in the World Cup final, all eyes were on the football hero and his family. The 35-year-old has been married to Antonela Roccuzzo since 2017 but their love story has been unfolding since they were children. Today's top videos To this day, Lionel credits his other half as being the light of his life and described saying: 'I really admire how she deals with the day-to-day, she is always in a good mood and approaches problems admirably. She is highly intelligent and well-rounded in all aspects of life. So just who is the brunette beauty that has captured his heart? Antonela was born in 1988 and grew up in the city of Rosario in Argentina, the daughter of José Roccuzzo who runs a chain of supermarkets in the city founded by her grandparents. Her mum Patricia Blanco devoted her time to raising the family and Antonela has two sisters, Paula and Carla both of whom work as lawyers. According to Vanity Fair Espana, Antonela attended the exclusive Latin American Education Centre in the city where fees are reportedly around €1,200 per month. She then went on to study for a bachelor's degree in humanities and social sciences from the National University of Rosario. Antonela then decided to do a postgrad in dentistry but left her studies behind to move closer to Lionel. After deciding dentistry wasn't for her she moved into modelling in 2016 and signed on to work with footwear designer Ricky Sarkany. A year later she and Sofia Balbi, the wife of another player, Luis Suárez opened a store selling Sarkany's creations in Barcelona. She also worked with several fitness brands as well as Stella McCartney. On top of that, Antonela has an incredible 23 million followers on social media where she promotes her work. Antonela met the future soccer star in the sweetest way when they were both children and they have been in each other's lives ever since they were five years old. Her cousin Lucas Scaglia is also a football player and became friends with Lionel. Although he's known for being shy, he certainly wasn't when he met Antonela and apparently would regularly visit the family home to see her. Their blossoming romance hit a roadblock when he signed for Barcelona in 2001 at 13 and the family relocated to Spain but not even long distance could keep these two apart. In 2005 he flew home to Argentina to comfort Antonela when her best friend was killed in a road accident and the relationship went from strength to strength. They were first spotted together publically in 2008 and in January of the next year he confirmed that he was taken during an interview with the TV show Hat Trick Barce. 'Yes, I have a girlfriend. She is in Argentina. The truth is that I am well and I am relaxed.' In 2010, Antonela moved to Bacelona to be with her future husband. Fast forward two years and Antonela became pregnant with their eldest son Thiago. In an adorable move after scoring in Argentina's 4-0 win against Ecuador that year, Linoel placed a ball under his shirt to celebrate the pregnancy which he confirmed in an interview two weeks later. Their second son Mateo was born in 2015 while their youngest Ciro came along in 2018. The year before the happy couple tied the knot on 30 June in the City Centre Hotel complex of Rosario, the city where they met all those years ago. It was dubbed the 'wedding of the century' as over 260 guests watched them exchange vows and hundreds of police were deployed on security detail. Guests indeed fellow players Luis Suárez and Neymar and also Shakira. Their reception played host to a sushi station while the menu was an Argentine affair and included empanadas. Antonela looked utterly sensational on her big day in a mermaid-style gown from Rosa Clará that was custom-made. A France Football director told Antonela to stand aside to take pictures of Messi alone with his sons but he made sure she stayed by his side. King. Proving that he definitely has his family priorities right, Lionel took a stand for his wife on the red carper of the Ballon D'Or ceremony in 2021. Antonela was asked to stand aside by officials so that he could be photographed with his sons and she quickly stepped away but the outraged player insisted that she come back so that they could pose as a family. Early life
Education
Career
How they met
Their relationship
Family
Wedding
Ballon D'Or incident
See Also
The untold truth about Lionel Messi's wife, Antonela RoccuzzoInside Lionel Messi’s relationship with his wife Antonella Roccuzzo - TheNetlineWho is Antonela Roccuzzo? How she became Messi's girlfriend and wife, ex-boyfriend, current job, and net worth in 2024Lionel Messi and Antonela Roccuzzo's Impressively Private Love Story Is One for the Record Books - E! Online