On the evening of December 18 (local time), Lionel Messi and his teammates finally fulfilled Argentina’s dream of winning the World Cup after nearly 4 decades. The whole world focused their attention on the greatest football superstar of all time. This was clearly a very meaningful victory for the PSG striker because he had waited almost his entire life for it.
One of the most touching and eye-catching moments for the global audience was when Messi hugged a woman believed to be his mother – Celia Maria Cuccittini – while waiting for the award ceremony to take place. Initially, Messi was surprised by the appearance of the woman, but the striker was immediately overjoyed, hugging her and listening to the emotional congratulations. This moment was captured on film and broadcast live worldwide.
Messi’s mother, Celia Maria Cuccittini, arrived in Qatar early to support the player with her daughter-in-law and three grandchildren. During the final match, she also appeared alongside Antonela Roccuzzo in an Argentina shirt. This time, many members of Messi’s extended family came to support the player mentally.
Image of Messi’s mother earlier in the stands
The moment Messi hugs his mother has gone viral on the internet for the past 2 days
However, after the video of Messi and his mother hugging and crying was spread on social media and news sites for 2 days, longtime fans of Messi corrected the information. The woman celebrating with the Argentina captain was not his mother, nor the mother of his teammate Kun Aguero, Adriana Aguero as some previous controversies, but Antonia Farias, the chef of the Argentina team.
Antonia, 42, has been a team chef for a decade and has been accompanying the players since the America’s Cup and now the World Cup in Qatar. She has worked alongside another chef, Diego Iacovone, to prepare the team’s favourite Argentine dishes on their overseas trips.
Chef Antonia poses with Lionel Messi and Nehuén Pérez in 2018
But those who work quietly behind the scenes like Antonia Farias do not simply support the players but have also been with them over time. It is clear that the relationship between Lionel Messi and chef Antonia is extremely warm and they gave each other emotional congratulations. Not only with Antonia, Messi has always been known as such a man: always treating those who love him as family members and that is why he is always loved by everyone.
Mrs. Celia also went down to the field to hug and congratulate her son on his miraculous victory.
Messi’s real mother was also photographed hugging her son at Lusail Stadium. The best player of the 2022 World Cup has a close relationship with his mother. People often see Celia accompanying her son to matches, being the spiritual support for the PSG star to shine alongside his wife and 3 young sons. Messi’s family has always lived a very private life, even though his brothers are all part of the player’s management team.
Despite being the world’s number one player, Messi protects his family information very well. Pictures of him and his mother like this cannot be found too much on the Internet.
