Before Messi was lifting the World Cup or rewriting La Liga record books, Antonela Roccuzzo was already part of his life. The two grew up together in Rosario, Argentina — childhood friends long before she became the partner of the most decorated footballer on the planet.
Roccuzzo and Messi went public in 2009, though their relationship had quietly started the year before. The official reveal came at a carnival in Sitges following the Barcelona-Espanyol derby in February of that year — a low-key entrance for someone who would eventually command nearly 40 million Instagram followers. They married in Rosario in 2017 at a wedding that brought together much of world football's elite, and together they have three sons: Thiago, Mateo, and Ciro.
From Rosario to Miami via Barcelona
Roccuzzo gave up a postgraduate orthodontology course in Rosario to follow Messi as his Barcelona career took off. That decision shaped the next decade-plus of her life — first in Catalonia, then briefly in Paris when Messi joined PSG in 2021, and now in Miami, where the family has settled since his move to Inter Miami in 2023.
Miami suits them. The city's Latin identity runs deep, and the Argentine Football Association even opened a regional office there in December 2023 — a signal of just how much Argentina's football ecosystem has followed Messi across the Atlantic.
Building her own brand
Roccuzzo isn't simply defined by who she married. In 2016 she signed a modeling contract with Argentine designer Ricky Sarkany. The following year, alongside Sofia Balbi — wife of Luis Suárez — she co-opened a Barcelona boutique for the Sarkany footwear brand. The store closed two years later when Suárez left the club, but Roccuzzo's commercial career didn't stall with it.
- Modeling deals with Adidas and Stella McCartney followed
- She has built a significant fitness and lifestyle brand presence
- Her Instagram following sits at close to 40 million
At this point, Antonela Roccuzzo operates as a brand in her own right — one that predates Miami, predates Paris, and will outlast whatever chapter of football comes next for her husband.
