Lionel Messi is not only a star who works miracles on the pitch, but he is also the main character in a beautiful fairy-tale love story.

The other half of Messi’s love story is Antonella Roccuzzo. He and Antonella have been living together for many years, although they are not married. They have two children together to add sweetness to their lives.

9 years old and committed to love.

Leo and Antonella grew up in the same neighborhood, 1 year apart. The first time Messi met his other half was when he was 4 years old, but they rarely had the chance to interact with each other.

There is a small gap between the two. Although they are all middle class in Rosario, the Messi family is still difficult to compare with the Roccuzzo family.

Antonella’s father owns a fairly large supermarket. Meanwhile, Messi’s parents are both ordinary workers.

The first turning point came when Leo was just 9 years old. At that time, in the youth team of Newell’s Old Boys, Leo knew and was very close to his teammate Lucas Scaglia, Antonella’s cousin.

The closeness between Messi and Scaglia was the catalyst that led to a friendship with Antonella. From just knowing each other because they lived in the same neighborhood, the two gradually formed a very close relationship.

Although he was only a 9-year-old boy, Leo began to have feelings for Antonella.

Not to trust anyone, not even his close friend Lucas, to which Messi committed himself by writing on a blank sheet of paper and keeping it in a private corner (later discovered): “One day Antonella will be my girlfriend.”

The challenge of youth

During the final days of the Newell’s Old Boys youth team, young Messi, aged between 12 and 13, often fell in love with boys a few years older than him.

That’s understandable. The general reaction of most pubescent children is usually the same.

At the end of 2000, Messi was brought by Barcelona to the La Masia youth academy. An important turning point that made his future career glorious, also another turning point in Leo’s life.

While Messi is playing football and receiving treatment for growth hormone deficiency, Antonella is studying at the Latin American Education Center.

Messi has very little time to think about Antonella. The disease cannot be cured in one or two days. In Catalonia, Messi practiced and thought about his illness. Leo and his father Jorge Messi often look at the four walls of the small apartment they rent and remember their family in Argentina.

At that time, while attending school, Antonella had feelings for another young man, also a resident of Rosario.

Messi and Antonella have lived new experiences of youth together. It can be said that this is a challenge for both of them.

Touching love story

Antonella was “in love” with that boy for 3 consecutive years, until the young woman encountered a sad incident.

A very close friend of Antonella passed away after a tragic car accident, causing her to have a mental breakdown. Coincidentally, Messi, Barça’s most prominent young star, decided to fly back to his hometown to be with his friend.

Messi did it very naturally, without planning anything, and also without remembering the role of commitment that only he knew when he was 9 years old.

Since then, the two began to contact each other more often and their relationship gradually became closer. At that time, true love blossomed between them, not just the sudden emotions of youth. They kept this relationship a secret.

Messi returns to Barça to begin conquering Europe. Antonella stayed in her hometown and studied Dentistry at the National University of Rosario. After the six-month course, the student spent another year studying communication technology.

A close girlfriend of Antonella discovered the relationship between the two in 2007, but agreed not to tell anyone. The two thought they were too young to publicly declare their love, especially when Messi received so much media attention.

In January 2009, at the age of 21, Messi took part in a talk show on Catalonia’s TV3 channel and for the first time publicly announced that he had a girlfriend. “Do you have a girlfriend?” MC asked, and Messi answered without hesitation. “Yes, I have a girlfriend. She’s in Argentina. This is a great relationship.”

Messi simply responded to that, and did not mention Antonella’s name. Nevertheless, Antonella was happy with that confirmation. On the contrary, many other young women in the world are bored by disillusionment.

It was not until 2010, before the World Cup in South Africa, that their love story became public. Antonella has since moved to Catalonia and lives in the same house as Messi.

As a football superstar with money and fame, Messi has been involved in many accusations of emotional promiscuity. Only Antonella understands him and always knows how to solve problems well.

They welcomed their first baby in 2012, named Thiago. After 3 years, Thiago had a younger brother, Mateo.

Messi went through many difficulties throughout his career, from injuries to failures, especially with the Argentine national team, and then being accused of tax evasion and sentenced to prison. It was Antonella and their two children who helped Leo to stand firm in the face of the storms, to continue finding new sweets for himself and his family.