When Antonela Roccuzzo met a little boy who dreamed of becoming a footballer from the age of five, Antonela Roccuzzo had no idea that she would be cheering for the best player in the world in today’s World Cup final.
Little did she know, either, that she would go on to become the mastermind behind Lionel Messi’s multi-billion dollar brand that eclipses everyone else, including David and Victoria Beckham and even longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo and his fiancée Georgina Rodriguez.
Not that she would become perhaps the most famous woman in South America along the way. Today she is a philanthropist, multi-millionaire, owner of a children’s fashion label and animal lover.
She’s also a dentist, although she gave that up to stand by the Argentine striker’s side as he began his journey via Barcelona and now Paris Saint-Germain to become the richest and best footballer in the world.
Lionel Messi and his wife Antonela Roccuzzo first met at the age of five, now have three children and have built a million dollar brand together
The woman who stole Messi’s heart may now be South America’s most famous woman. Today she is a philanthropist, multi-millionaire, owner of a children’s fashion label and animal lover
Almost 30 years after she first faced Messi, Antonela – mother of the superstar’s three sons – is hoping the 35-year-old can lead Argentina to victory over defending champions France in Qatar today.
It would mark the perfect end to his glorious career and earn him the only honor left in the game. Those who know Antonela, 34, say she’s “humble and humble and enjoys nothing more than being at home with her boys and her two beloved dogs.”
Of course there are several houses. These include a £10million mansion just outside Barcelona overlooking the beautiful Catalan hills and Mediterranean coastline.
There are others in Ibiza, Miami and her hometown of Rosario in Argentina. There they have a house called The Fortress with 25 rooms including a playroom for sons Thiago, Mateo and Ciro.
According to friends, the Messis are planning to retire there. And that brings the lovely couple full circle back to when they met in 1993 and their fairytale romance began.
Messi and his wife own several houses. These include a £10million mansion just outside Barcelona overlooking the beautiful Catalan hills and Mediterranean coastline
Messi looks out over the blue sea and supports his team (above) during the semi-final in Qatar, where his wife cheered on the best player in the world in today’s World Cup final
Because their love story, especially when compared to those of most footballers who are more likely to hit their WAGs in gaudy nightclubs or on social media, is exactly that.
Antonela is the cousin of Messi’s 30 31 childhood friend Lucas Scagilia.
When the aspiring soccer player first saw her in the early ’90s, he asked, “Who is she?” “Antonela, my cousin,” Scagilia replied.
According to Scagilia’s father, Messi ‘couldn’t look away from her for a second’. She visited the neighborhood for two days and Messi knew right away that he wanted to be with her forever.
Whenever she stayed at Scagilia’s, Messi found an excuse to visit hoping to catch a glimpse of her.
This was often at the weekend. He would write her love letters and tell her that when they both grew up, she would be his girlfriend.
They kept in touch with Antonela wanting to see Messi and her cousin play for Newell’s Old Boys club in their younger days.
As his career blossomed, Messi moved to Barcelona when he was 13, but the couple stayed in touch.
Five years later, tragedy brought them back together. Antonela was devastated when her best friend Ursula Notz died in a car accident. Messi was so concerned about his childhood crush that he flew back to Argentina to comfort her.
That’s when they realized they wanted to be boyfriend and girlfriend. Still, there were thousands of miles between them because the ambitious Antonela, then 18, didn’t want to be a typical WAG.
She earned a degree in Humanities and Social Sciences from the National University of Rosario and then began postgraduate studies in Dentistry. But love eventually triumphed.
Antonela made the heartbreaking decision to end her career and move to Barcelona two years after their relationship became known.
On the football talk show Hat Trick Barca on the Catalan channel TV3 in January 2009, Messi was asked if he was in a relationship.
He replied: “Yes, I have a girlfriend. She is in Argentina. The truth is I’m fine and relaxed.’
Just a few months later, the couple went public during a carnival in Sitges, following the big Barcelona-Espanyol local derby.
Thiago was born in 2012, followed by Mateo in 2015. And in 2017 – 25 years after they first met – Antonela finally became Mrs. Messi when they tied the knot at a luxury hotel in her hometown of Rosario.
Dubbed Argentina’s “wedding of the century,” it had a guest list of 260, including footballers Neymar, Luis Suárez and Gerard Piqué, who arrived in Rosario in 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 actress Eva Longoria and Queen Letizia of Spain.
A year later, the couple had another son, Ciro. Her clan also includes two dogs, a French mastiff named Señor Hulk and a shyer Cockapoo named Abu.
Messi says of his wife: “She has many good qualities: how she makes ends meet every day; her personality, she is always in a good mood and always faces problems admirably.
“She is a very intelligent person who is great in all aspects of life.”
Despite her wealth, Antonela doesn’t spend her days shopping for designer clothes.
She volunteered at the SJD Hospital in Barcelona over the summer.
The couple also gave the leftovers from their wedding to the Rosario Food Bank. While her husband is raking in £94million for Paris Saint-Germain in three years, Antonela is making her own millions as a social media influencer.
Companies go above and beyond to sign them up to hook up their products for a huge paycheck.
These include yoga wear from Alo, Dolce & Gabbana, Guerlain, Dior and Louis Vuitton.
But this afternoon, when Messi takes on Doha’s Lusail Stadium, his billion-dollar bank balance will fade into insignificance as he plays to fulfill yet another childhood dream – to win world football’s most coveted trophy