"She is everything to me" - Lionel Messi admits words can't describe what Antonella Roccuzzo means to him
Lionel Messi has insisted that his wife Antonella Roccuzzo means "everything" to him in a recent interview with ESPN journalist Martin Arevalo. The couple has been married since 2017 and have three sons - Thiago, Matteo, and Ciro.
Speaking to ESPN Argentina, Messi admitted that everything falls short of what Antonella means to him, reiterating her importance in his life.
"Defining everything she means to me… anything I say will fall short. She is very important and she is everything for me," Messi said.
In the same interview, Messi also mentioned that he would like to have a daughter sometime in the future, although he did not hint at any upcoming plans for the same.
“I would love to have a girl, but for now there is nothing concrete,” he added.
Lionel Messi reportedly met Antonella Roccuzzo for the first time back in Argentina when both were children. Antonella is believed to have been a cousin of one of Messi's childhood friends. The two have been together since then and Messi has always spoken about her importance in his life.
Lionel Messi and Antonella Roccuzzo's relationship timeline explained
As per SPORT, Lionel Messi and Antonella Roccuzzo reportedly met at the house of the former's friend, Lucas Scaglia in 1996. While Messi was nine years old then, Antonella was eight. Scaglia was Antonella's cousin and Messi's friend from the Newell's Old Boys youth system.
In 2000, Lionel Messi moved to Barcelona with his father Jorge. However, he reportedly wrote letters to Antonella back in Rosario, mentioning they'd be "engaged" one day.
As per the Argentine publication Para Ti in 2005, one of Antonella Roccuzzo's friends passed away in a tragic car accident. Messi flew from Barcelona to support his childhood sweetheart during that time, but they kept their relationship private.
It is understood that the two officially began dating sometime between these years, but Messi only made the relationship public in 2009. On the Hat Trick Barça program on TV3, Lionel Messi was asked if he had a girlfriend, and the Argentine replied yes, revealing that the girl was back in Argentina.
"Yes, I have a girlfriend. She is in Argentina. The truth is that I am well and I am relaxed," Messi said.
As Messi continued his career at Barcelona, Antonella briefly studied dentistry at the National University of Rosario, per SPORT. She reportedly revealed her relationship with Messi to her friends in 2007, two years before the Argentina international made it public.
According to SPORT, Antonella traveled to Barcelona and moved in with Messi ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In November 2012, she gave birth to their first son, Thiago.
During the 2014-15 season, Messi took to social media to announce that Antonella was pregnant with their second child Mateo, who was born in September 2015.
Speaking on FC Barcelona's official channel following their wedding in 2017, Messi spoke fondly of his wife and how he admires her ability to deal with day-to-day issues.
"My wife, Antonela, has lots of great qualities. I really admire how she deals with the day to day, she is always in a good mood and she approaches problems admirably. She is highly intelligent and well rounded in all aspects of life," he said.
Messi tied the knot with Antonella Roccuzzo in June 2017 at the Rosario Downtown building and the Pullman Hotel in the couple's hometown, Rosario. The couple's third child, Ciro, was born in the following year in 2018.
Antonella Roccuzzo has been spotted supporting Lionel Messi during games, including the 2022 FIFA World Cup triumph in Qatar. She is frequently spotted supporting his husband at his Inter Miami games.