All eyes are undeniably on Lionel Messi this World Cup. The 39-year-old striker for Argentina is looking to win back-to-back titles with his team. As he aims to lead his team to victory once again, he’ll be supported by his longtime wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, and their three sons.
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Antonela in 2025.
Messi says he admires “everything” about her. “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.” Antonela, he said, is a “very intelligent person who is great in all aspects of life.”
Here, what to know about Leo Messi’s wife Antonela:
She and Messi grew up together.
The daughter of Patricia Blanco and José Roccuzzo, Antonela is from Rosario, Argentina, like Messi. Per CNN, “The name Lucas Scaglia may not mean much to most people but without him, Lionel Messi’s marriage to childhood sweetheart Antonela Roccuzzo may never have happened. While playing for Newell’s Old Boys as kids, so the story goes, Scaglia and Messi became friends off the pitch. A young Messi soon began spending an increasing amount of time at the Scaglia family home after laying eyes on his friend’s cousin, Antonela Roccuzzo.”
At 12, Messi left home to join FC Barcelona, and the two wouldn’t reconnect for a few years.
Antonela almost became a dentist.
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Antonella in 2026 at Tiffany & Co.’s launch of the Blue Book 2026: Hidden Garden at Park Avenue Armory.
After getting her high school degree, she went on to study Dentistry at the National University of Rosario, dropped out after six months to move to Barcelona, Spain to be closer to Messi. She was just 19 years old.
“It was hard when I moved to Spain because at that time my family and friends were my nest, where I felt protected, but on the other hand, it helped me grow a lot,” she told Harper’s Bazaar Mexico earlier this year (translated from Spanish). “It challenged me to move forward, to find solutions, and to step outside my comfort zone. You have to keep pushing. It’s hard to leave your roots behind, but I’ve always carried my family and my customs in my heart, in every different place I’ve lived. Even the television we watch at home is Argentinian, wherever we go.”
She added, “But I won’t deny that it’s difficult being away from family. When something happens to you and you need a sister’s hug, a face-to-face chat with a friend, or simply to be with your parents on a Sunday afternoon. It’s sad to miss out on moments that are gone and never come back.”
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Antonela Roccuzzo celebrates with the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Winner’s Trophy.
She’s a mom of three sons.
Messi and Antonela, who married in 2017, have three children together: Thiago (b. 2012), Mateo (b. 2015), and Ciro (b. 2018). “What changed me most as a woman was becoming a mother,” she told Bazaar Mexico. “Because from that moment on, my children became my priority.”
Antonela loves fantasy novels and Lego sets.
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The Messi family.
The Harry Potter series remain her favorite books. “It was the first book my mother gave me when I was 11, and that’s why it has such a special meaning for me. Immersing myself in that magical story completely captivated me. To this day, I cherish that first copy, and it reminds me of when my mother told me to stop reading because it was totally addictive,” she said.
In that same interview with Bazaar Mexico, she revealed she and her sons love building lego sets. Her favorite: “Hogwarts Castle! It’s gigantic and I’m fascinated by it. My children and I have a sort of museum where we display all our Lego creations.”
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Deputy Digital Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, celebrities, the royals, and a wide range of other topics. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms.