“I’m different, I have my craziness” - Lionel Messi names son who is most similar to him
Lionel Messi has said that his youngest son Ciro is the most similar to him among his children. Messi shares three sons with his wife Antonela Roccuzzo - Thiago, Mateo and Ciro.
In an interview with Argentine TV host Marcelo Tinelli (via @RoyNemer on X), Messi said:
“My three children are very different in character. Ciro is the most similar to me, we talked about it with Antonela. I'm different, I have my craziness and my moments.”
Lionel Messi and Antonela, who have known each other since childhood, welcomed their first son Thiago on November 2, 2012. They became parents for a second time with Mateo's birth on September 11, 2015, and welcomed their youngest Ciro on March 10, 2018.
In an interview with Argentine journalist Sebastian Vignolo, Messi described Thiago as the calm one among his sons, while saying that Mateo takes after his competitive spirit.
“Mateo is the same as me when I was little, he doesn't like to lose anything,” Messi said (via People).
The Inter Miami forward has also said that Mateo likes to tease him and his older brother Thiago by supporting rival teams like Liverpool and Real Madrid.
In 2017, Messi told Spanish magazine Marca (via FC Barcelona) that fatherhood changed his perspective on life.
“You grow and you learn. You gather experience in all aspects of life, on and off the field. But, as a human being, having three children changed my perspective on life, my way of thinking and it also helped me grow,” Messi said.
“Even though there are few moments of respite at home with three kids, we try to enjoy every second with them, whether it is watching the TV, playing or whatever. We like to stay at home and enjoy these moments,” he added.
Lionel Messi opens up about incident involving children that made life 'difficult' in Paris
Lionel Messi has said that his neighbors used to be bothered by his children playing football during his stint with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The Argentine moved to the French capital in 2021 after Barcelona were unable to renew his contract.
In an interview with ESPN, the eight-time Balon d’Or winner spoke about his life in Paris. He explained that adjusting to a new environment was among the factors that led to a difficult time on the pitch. Lionel Messi said:
“In Paris, the [neighbors] knocked on the door at nine or ten o’clock in the evening to say that my kids shouldn’t be playing football. The neighbors bothered us […] it played a lot on my mind and that had an effect on the pitch. In Paris, on a personal level, I wasn’t good.”
The Argentine scored 32 goals and provided 35 assists in 75 appearances across competitions during his stint with the Ligue 1 giants.