Lionel Messi’s concept of love is defined by Antonella Roccuzzo – the only woman he loved throughout his 36 years of life.
Women often tell each other not to be foolish enough to love or date a man who is struggling to make a career, because when he has everything in hand, he will change his mind and no longer appreciate the woman who has been by his side during the most difficult times.
This assertion is certainly not without basis. In newspapers, in real life, wherever we are, we can easily read and hear love stories with the motif “going through storms together, until the sunny and peaceful day, we break up”.
But if we just say that men will change their minds when they reach the peak of success, it would be unfair to men! Because there will always be exceptions to everything, and in this case, that is Lionel Messi – the famous player who just won the Golden Ball award in 2023.
This is Messi’s 8th Ballon d’Or title in his career. Previously, the number 10 superstar was crowned in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019 and 2021.
On the field, Messi scores points with fans with his ability to think and observe before launching shots that are considered to be excellent techniques. In real life, when “leaving the role of M10”, Messi still makes the public unable to help but admire him as an absolutely loyal man, a husband and father who could not be more exemplary.
36 years of life knowing only one woman
Let’s look at the concept of “woman” in Messi’s life from the perspective of love.
For Messi, love is defined by Antonella Roccuzzo – his wife and also his “neighbor friend” since childhood. Antonella is 1 year younger than Messi, a rich girl and a neighbor living on the same street as Messi.
One weekend in 1996, the first time he met his neighbor, Messi silently affirmed that “one day she will be my wife”.
Lionel Messi and Antonella Roccuzzo as children
Messi’s feelings for Antonella were once one-sided, especially when he left his hometown to join Barcelona’s youth academy. At that time, communication was limited, making it impossible for the two to keep in touch. Antonella also had a crush on another guy for 3 years. But deep down, Messi still remembers his declaration that he would become Antonella’s boyfriend.
In 2005, the turning point of the relationship occurred when Antonella unfortunately lost her boyfriend in a traffic accident. Seeing his “muse” depressed and sad, as soon as he returned home, Messi immediately went to Antonella’s side and comforted her. He helped her overcome the difficult time, which helped the two get closer together.
Antonella revealed that she and Messi started dating in July 2007. However, they kept their relationship secret and only made it public in 2009 when Antonella moved to Spain to live with her boyfriend.
The two lived together for more than 10 years and had three sons before holding the “wedding of the century” in the summer of 2017.
Messi and Antonella’s family
It would be remiss to mention Messi without mentioning the four most difficult years of his career, from 2014 to 2018. Messi in those years could be said to be at the darkest point when the Argentine national team continuously experienced defeats in important tournaments. At that time, people talked about Messi with question marks: Where did his talent and enthusiasm disappear to?
Not many fans truly understand that one talent is not enough to save the whole team. But “no rain will stop”, those difficult times will pass.
In 2022, when Messi and Argentina won the World Cup, Antonella wrote this on her personal Instagram: “I don’t even know how to start to talk about how proud I and the children are of you. Thank you for teaching me and the children the lesson of never giving up. You fought to the end to become a world champion. You had to endure many years to get what you wanted. “
Antonella and Messi after the 2022 World Cup final
Apart from his teammates on the pitch, it is probably not wrong to say that Antonella is the only person who has witnessed and understood the difficulties and challenges in Messi’s career. This wife has always stood by her husband, supporting him in all situations. And until he succeeded, this was the way the player who won 8 Golden Ball awards “repaid” his wife.
He turned down an offer to play in Saudi Arabia with a salary of up to 400 million USD/year. He also decided to end his “old love” with Barcelona – the team that has been associated with Messi for almost the entire length of his football career.
Messi chose to join Inter Miami – a “bottom” club in the US. Many people were surprised by this decision. In fact, behind Messi’s choice was his priority for his family.
“I’m at a point where I want to step away from the big concerns, I want to think more about my family. I want to enjoy time with my family. If the problem was just money, I would have chosen to go to Saudi Arabia or somewhere else, then I would have received a lot of money” – Messi explained his somewhat “shocking” decision.
Conclusion
Those who have lost much faith in men in general may still find ways to “protect” their somewhat negative belief that men will definitely change when they have everything in their hands. The love story of Messi and his neighbor, after all, is only what we know through newspapers and media. No one can be sure of the real situation.
Thinking like that is not necessarily wrong. It’s just that even if this is just a love story, a “beautiful” marriage in the newspapers, it is rare for a world-famous football star to maintain the image of a loyal man, an exemplary husband, who loves his wife and children, like what Messi has shown and is showing.
