Celebrity
Meet The WAG Who Won Lionel Messi’s Heart When They Were Aged Five
Antonela sacrificed her career as a dentist just to be by Messi’s side.
Lionel Messi is officially a World Cup champ! The Argentina player, known for wearing the infamous number 10, had his name written in the history books following a dramatic win over the reigning French champions at the 2022 World Cup. Apart from his commendable soccer stardom, Messi is a family man and the father of three children.
Antonela Roccuzzo is the woman who ultimately won the heart of Messi.
The love spark happened when they were both five, and little did Antonela know that she would someday be cheering on the best player on the planet at the just concluded World Cup final, which sealed the perfect ending to the 35-year-old’s glorious career and secured him the one honor left to him in the game.
Those who know Antonela, 34, allege she’s humble, modest, and enjoys nothing more than being at home with her boys and two beloved dogs.
Messi and Antonela’s love story is very unique, and it can’t be compared with those of most footballers, who tend to meet their WAGs in gaudy nightclubs or on social media. As per the DailyMail, the mom-of-three is the cousin of Messi’s 30 31 children friend Lucas Scagilia. And back in the early Nineties, when the footballer-to-be first laid eyes on her, he couldn’t help but ask: “Who is she?’ Antonela, my cousin,” replied Scagilia.
According to Scagilia’s father, Messi couldn’t look away from her for a second, and as Antonela often visited the neighborhood, the footballer allegedly knew he wanted to be with her forever.
It’s further revealed that each time Antonela stayed at Scagilia’s house, Messi found excuses to visit in the hope he could catch a glimpse of her. Often at weekends, he wrote her love letters and told her that when they both grew up, she would be his girlfriend. They remained in contact, with Antonela going to watch Messi and her cousin play for the Newell’s Old Boys club in their younger days.
As his career blossomed, Messi allegedly moved to Barcelona at age 13, but 5 years later, he flew back to Argentina to comfort Antonela, who at the time was devastated that her best friend Ursula Notz died in a car accident.
With Messi so concerned about his childhood crush, the pair realized they wanted to be boyfriend and girlfriend, but it didn’t kick off as Antonela went off to get a degree in humanities and social sciences from the National University of Rosario and postgraduate studies in dentistry. After their affair became public, Antonela decided to cut her career short and relocate to Barcelona for two years.
She gave up being a dentist to be at the Argentine striker’s side as he started his journey via Barcelona and now Paris Saint-Germain to become the world’s richest and finest footballer.
When asked on the football chat show Hat Trick Barca on the Catalan Channel TV3 in January 2009, if he was in a relationship, Messi didn’t hold back in saying: “Yes, I have a girlfriend.” She’s in Argentina. The truth is that I am well and I am relaxed.” In 2012, the pair welcomed son Thiago, followed by Mateo in 2017, and in 2017 – 25 years after their first meeting, Antonela became Mrs. Messi.
The pair had tied the knot at a luxury hotel in their hometown of Rosario and it was described as Argentina’s wedding of the century.
The occasion at the time boasted a guest list of just 260 people, including footballers Luis Suarez, Neymar, and Gerard Pique, who arrived in Rosario in a private jet with his then partner, Colombian pop star Shakira. Antonela donned a dress by Rosa Clara, a Barcelona-based designer who has dressed Eva Longoria and Spain’s Queen Letizia. Despite her wealth, it’s said she doesn’t spend her days shopping for designer clothing.
A year after the pair tied the knot, they welcomed another son, Ciro, and their clan also includes two dogs, a French Mastiff named Senor Hulk and a more-timid Cockapoo named Abu.
Messi says of his Antonela, who volunteered at the SJD hospital in Barcelona in the summer: “She has many good qualities; how she gets by on a daily basis; her personality, she is always in a good mood, and she always faces up to problems in an admirable way. She is a very intelligent person who is great in all aspects of life.” While the footballer rakes in £94M over three years playing for PSG, Antonela makes her own millions as a social media influencer.
Brands, including Alo Yoga clothing, Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Dolce & Gabbana have been falling over themselves to sign her up to plug their products in return for a huge pay cheque.
But then, Antonela has gone on to become the brains behind Messi’s billion-dollar brand, which eclipses all others, including David and Victoria Beckham and even long-term rival Cristiano Ronaldo and his fiancée Georgina Rodriguez. However, the couple owns several homes, including a $10 million mansion outside Barcelona with views of both the beautiful Catalan hills and the Mediterranean coast.
There are other homes owned in Ibiza, Miami, and their hometown of Rosario, Argentina; according to friends, that is where the Messis plan to retire.
