5 minute readrundown
Antonella Roccuzzo has known Lionel Messi since childhood, long before he started his career as a world-class footballer. She has developed her career as an entrepreneur, model, philanthropist, and beauty ambassador. She and Messi share three sons and are starting a family of their own.
Antonella Roccuzzo has been cheering on Lionel Messi from the sidelines for years, but recently she has stepped into the public eye on her own terms.
The Argentine entrepreneur, model and philanthropist has forged partnerships with brands such as Tiffany & Co., Adidas, Anastasia Beverly Hills and Aro while raising Messi and her three sons. Although Roccuzzo has amassed millions of followers on social media, she remains particularly private and has only begun giving interviews in recent years.
Here’s everything you need to know about Messi’s wife.
She grew up in Rosario, Argentina.
Roccuzzo was born on February 26, 1988 in Rosario, Argentina, where Messi grew up.
In an interview with Grazia in 2024, Rocuzzo reflected on his time growing up in Rosario. “My memories and childhood were so wonderful,” she said. “I was always surrounded by my family.”
She then attended the National University of Rosario and earned a bachelor’s degree in humanities and social sciences. She also began postgraduate studies in dentistry before deciding to move to Spain as her relationship with Messi became more serious.
“I’ve always wanted to be a dentist,” she told Grazia. “I don’t know why because no one in my family has a dentist, but I’ve always dreamed of it.”
She and Messi have known each other since childhood.
The story of Messi and Rocuzzo goes back decades.
According to ESPN, the two first met through Roccuzzo’s cousin Lucas Scalia, who played youth soccer with Messi in Rosario. They have known each other since childhood, but Messi moved to Barcelona at the age of 13 to pursue a soccer career.
The two reportedly reunited after Messi returned to Argentina in 2005 following the death of one of Roccuzzo’s close friends. According to ESPN, their relationship was largely private until Messi publicly admitted he had a girlfriend in a 2009 interview with Catalan television station TV3.
Rocuzzo then moved to Barcelona in 2010.
She has built a career in fashion, beauty, and business.
While many first discovered Rocuzzo through Messi, she has spent the last few years establishing a career for herself.
She has partnered with brands such as Adidas, Tiffany & Co., Lancôme, Alo Yoga, and Anastasia Beverly Hills, and has over 40 million followers on Instagram.
Earlier this year, Anastasia Beverly Hills announced Roccuzzo as one of the beauty brand’s celebrity ambassadors. In an interview with ELLE at the time, she admitted that increasing her exposure to the public eye doesn’t necessarily come naturally.
“I felt so guilty leaving the house and not being with my kids,” she said. “I went to New York for a few days and felt sick. But when I came back, everyone was perfect. No one died. I realized I could do it more often.”
She added that she is still adjusting to life in the public eye.
“I’m very shy, so this is something very new to me,” she told ELLE. “No one knows my voice. I can’t speak. The very act of doing this interview is a first for me. So as time goes on, I’m starting to have more confidence in myself and have confidence in myself.”
She has also started her own businesses, including a children’s clothing brand, Enfant.
Fitness has become an important part of her daily life.
Although Roccuzzo frequently shares her workout content on social media, she says exercise is about more than just staying physically fit.
In 2026, she told ELLE: “I try to work out every day. I go to a women’s only gym. Twice a week I go to a FitJam class and it’s so much fun… It’s a way to put my mind in a different place. It takes me away from everything and allows me to start my day in a good way.”
She also said that strength training completely changed her perspective on fitness.
“I used to be scared to do weight training because I thought it would make me ‘big’, but that’s not the case,” she said. “Everyone should do at least an hour of weight training every day, because it’s very important for the future.”
Best of all, she views exercise as time completely to herself.
“For me, it’s like therapy,” she explained. “I leave my phone in my bag and put my Apple Watch on Do Not Disturb for an hour. ”
She and Messi married in Argentina in 2017.
After many years of dating, Roccuzzo and Messi married on June 30, 2017 in their hometown of Rosario.
According to ESPN, the ceremony was attended by around 260 guests, including many of Messi’s teammates and close friends from the world of football.
A few days after the wedding, Roccuzzo shared a photo of the wedding on Instagram with the caption, “My husband ❤️ Thank you to all my family and friends who attended!!! I love you so much 💍👰🏽🤵!!! #happiness #ido. ❤️.”
they have three sons.
Roccuzzo and Messi have three children. Thiago was born in 2012. Mateo, born in 2015. And Ciro was born in 2018.
Despite Messi’s worldwide fame, Roccuzzo said family life revolves around mundane things.
“We love our routine,” she told Grazia. “That structure is very important to our family.”
She explained that their day usually starts with taking the boys to school, and then they can attend training, meetings, errands, or photo shoots while they are in class.
“Then I just pick up the kids and go to soccer activities and after-school activities. Then I eat dinner and go to bed,” she said. “We’re like a normal family.”
She says her family remains her top priority.
Although Roccuzzo’s career continues to grow, she says motherhood comes first.
“My children are my top priority,” she told ELLE. “And now I’m in a position to start something for myself.”
Finding that balance wasn’t always easy, but she credits Messi for encouraging her to pursue opportunities outside the home.
“I have the support of my husband, which is very important,” she said. “If I didn’t have that support, I don’t think I would have been able to do this at all.”
Messi has also spoken publicly about his admiration for his wife. In a 2019 interview with Marca, he said, “There are many good things about her. The way she spends her days, her personality, she is always in a good mood and always approaches problems in a great way. She is a very intelligent person and excels in all aspects of life.”
She is passionate about philanthropy.
Rocuzzo has also made philanthropy an important part of her career.
She told Grazia that she tries to link many of her collaborations to philanthropy, and is particularly passionate about helping children and women.
Organizations she has worked with include Equality Now and Argentina’s Estudial es Mejor Foundation, which supports expanding access to education.
“I’ve always been very concerned about children, especially children and women,” she told the magazine.
