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Lionel Messi married his childhood sweetheart Antonella Roccuzzo on
Friday night at a well-guarded ceremony in his Argentine hometown of
Rosario. Some of the top names in world football flew down to the
Argentinian city to be alongside one of the top players in the world’s
marriage ceremony that was being called as ‘wedding of the decade’ in
Argentine media. About 250 guests descended on the luxurious hotel. The
likes of which included his Barcelona teammates Neymar, Luis Suarez and
Gerard Pique, who was joined by his wife, Colombian pop star Shakira.
Earlier there were reports of Pique turning down the invitation due to
differences between Shakira and Roccuzzo.
Argentines were abuzz over the wedding in Rosario, an agricultural
hub and the country’s third-largest city about 300 kilometres (186
miles) northwest of Buenos Aires. Nearly 150 journalists were allowed to
cover the event but had no access to cover the ceremony or the
after-party.
Onlookers gathered near the hotel to catch a glimpse of the football stars and snap photos with them. But the Israeli security team employed by Messi for his usual visits was on hand to keep lurkers at bay even with the neighbourhood notorious for its drug gang Los Monos.
“We think it’s great that Messi has come to Rosario to get married,” said Julio Sosa, who cleans windows for a living.
Messi, now 30, grew up in a lower middle-class neighbourhood in
Rosario along with his two brothers and a sister. His bride, 29, is the
cousin of a close Messi friend and the new couple has been close friends
since meeting at a young age. The duo stayed in touch after Messi left
for Spain to play with Barcelona’s youth team before Roccuzzo joined him
in the Spanish city later where they started dating in late 2000s. The
couple have two sons – 4-year-old Thiago and 1-year-old Mateo.
“Messi could have had this wedding wherever he liked – Dubai, the
moon. He can pay any plane ticket to anyone, but he chose the city
that’s in his heart,” said Leandro Macaya.
Messi, despite bringing laurels to his club Barcelona and winning
numerous personal accolades including being a five-time FIFA world
player of the year, has endured criticism for not bringing glory to his
national team. Last year, after the Copa America Centenario and yet
another heartbreak, Messi announced shock retirement. However, a few
weeks later he did a U-turn on his decision.
Despite that, he is praised
both at home and abroad for keeping his common touch. “He was always
the same and he never changed,” said Diego Vallejos, a childhood friend
who was invited to the wedding.
“Despite everything that he’s
accomplished in life, he’s still the same simple kid, the skinny dude
that I grew up with. It’s hard to explain the feeling – I’m both a
friend and a fan.”
Onlookers gathered near the hotel to catch a glimpse of the football stars and snap photos with them. But the Israeli security team employed by Messi for his usual visits was on hand to keep lurkers at bay even with the neighbourhood notorious for its drug gang Los Monos.
“We think it’s great that Messi has come to Rosario to get married,” said Julio Sosa, who cleans windows for a living.
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