Lionel Messi met his wife Antonela Roccuzzo in his city of birth, Rosario, and the pair have been inseparable since childhood.
One of the greatest ever players to play football, Lionel Messi is all set to take on Croatia in the semifinal of FIFA World Cup 2022, hoping to lay his hands on the trophy which he has most craved. You might know all about Messi, but do you know his wife Antonela Roccuzzo is a celebrity herself?
With 22 million followers on Instagram, Antonela, an Argentina model also hails from the same city as Messi, and the pair have been inseparable since their childhood. Here's all you need to know about Lionel Messi's wife Antonela Roccuzzo.
(All pictures courtesy: Antonela Roccuzzo, Instagram)
1. Meet Lionel Messi's wife Antonela Roccuzzo
)
Antonela Roccuzzo has been at Lionel Messi's side since his childhood. All the fame and glamour after becoming one of the best players in the world didn't change Messi's love for his wife. Initially, they were in a long-distance relationship, but were brought closer by a tragedy and have been inseparable ever since.
2. Antonela Roccuzzo childhood
)
Messi and Antonela both hail from the same city, Rosario. They have known each other since the age of five. She was the cousin of a friend of Messi, and despite his shy nature, the talismanic forward went regularly went to her house to meet her.
In 2007, a friend of Antonela passed away in a car accident, Messi had already moved away to Barcelona to follow his ambition for football, but he flew back home and comforted her and they have been together ever since.
3. Antonela is a model by profession
)
Roccuzzo studied humanities and social sciences in her bachelor's and opted for dentistry as her post-graduate studies but she decided to drop out to remain close to Messi, who was in Barcelona.
She signed a modelling contract with designer Ricky Sarkany in 2016 and opened a boutique with her friend Sofia Balbi, who is the wife of Luis Suarez, Messi's former Barca teammate.
4. Lionel Messi and Antonela's marriage
)
Messi got married to his sweetheart in their hometown of Rosario back in 2017. Their wedding party was dubbed Argentina's 'wedding of the century.' Many former teammates of Messi, including Gerard Pique and his wife Shakira, attended the bash.
5. Antonela Roccuzzo has 22 million followers on Instagram
)
Antonela is quite the celebrity herself, she has a huge fan following of 22 million on Instagram, and she regularly posts pictures of her family, her three children Thiago, Matteo and Ciro. She also promotes various brands as well.
