A Guide to Lionel Messi’s Family: All About His Wife & 3 Sons
What To Know
- Argentinian soccer player Lionel Messi has been married since 2017.
- The couple has three sons.
- All of them play soccer like their dad.
Lionel Messi is going after his second FIFA World Cup this year with Argentina. Though he’s only won it once, 2026 marks his sixth time competing for the trophy. For half of them, Messi has had his family by his side, including his wife of almost a decade.
“What a great pride we feel for you @leomessi,” she wrote on Instagram upon his 2022 win. “Thank you for teaching us to never give up, that we have to fight it until the end IT WAS FINALLY DONE YOU ARE A WORLD CHAMPION, we know what you suffered for so many years, what you wanted to achieve this!!!”
As Messi’s loved ones cheer him on once again, you may have found yourself wondering about the soccer star’s life off the field. Like many other wives and girlfriends of top-notch players, Messi’s wife has become famous in her own right. What’s more, his kids have already started following in his footsteps. Get all the details below.
Who is Lionel Messi’s wife?
Messi has been married to Argentinian influencer Antonela Roccuzzo since 2017. She’s also a model, businesswoman, and philanthropist. But before both she and Messi became famous, they knew each other during their childhoods in Rosario, Argentina, per Sports Illustrated. Roccuzzo’s cousin was one of Messi’s closest friends, putting the future couple in each other’s orbit.
When a teenaged Messi left Argentina to play for Barcelona, Roccuzzo stayed in their home country. They reconnected in 2005 when Messi found out that Roccuzzo’s best friend had died in a car accident, per Us Weekly. He flew back home to comfort her. They didn’t confirm their romance publicly until 2009.
Who are Lionel Messi’s kids?
Messi has three sons: Thiago, Mateo, and Ciro. “You grow and you learn. You gather experience in all aspects of life, on and off the field,” the soccer player told Marca of fatherhood in 2019. “But, as a human being, having three children changed my perspective on life, my way of thinking and it also helped me grow.”
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He continued, “Even though there are few moments of respite at home with three kids, [my wife and I] 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.”
Thiago Messi
Born in 2012, Thiago used to be a member of Barcelona’s soccer academy. In 2020, a video of him scoring a goal during his first match went viral. Since his family moved to Miami, the 13-year-old has played for Inter Miami’s under-12 team, according to People.
Fun fact: Messi got Thiago’s name and handprints tattooed on his calf shortly after he was born. In a 2016 essay for Sports Illustrated, Messi described a day in his life with his young son. “A typical day involves taking Thiago to school, going to training, hanging out at home drinking maté, and spending time with Anto and the kids at the park or somewhere,” he wrote. “It’s a normal, calm life, the kind of life we have always wanted.”
Mateo Messi
Mateo came along in 2015. He’s passionate about soccer, too, and plays for the Inter Miami academy. He’s a forward, like his dad. “Mateo is the same as me when I was little; he doesn’t like to lose anything,” Messi told Argentinian journalist Sebastián Vignolo, per People.
“Mateo is very special, he’s always doing new things, things that grab your attention,” Messi said in a 2019 interview.
Ciro Messi
You guessed it: Even Messi’s youngest son, who was born in 2018, plays for Inter Miami. “He copies Mateo a lot, and they go against me a lot,” Messi said. Just ahead of his dad’s World Cup appearance, Ciro was reportedly named MVP of a tournament he played in.
“From the very beginning, from kick-off to the final whistle, I’m thinking of my children,” Messi said during 2022’s World Cup, per The Athletic. “They’re growing older. They understand better what’s going on, and they enjoy it more.”
World Cup 2026, Thursday, June 11, 3/2c, Fox Sports, Fox, ESPN, Peacock, Telemundo & FIFA+
TV Guide Magazine’s 2026 World Cup Preview Special Issue is available for order online now at worldcup.tvgm2026.com and for purchase on newsstands nationwide.
