Lionel Messi is one of the biggest athletes in the world. Due to his popularity, a lot of media and fan attention is drawn towards the parents of the Argentine superstar. Lionel Andrés Messi was born in 1987 as the third child of Jorge Messi and his wife, Celia Maria Cuccittini.
Both the parents of Lionel Messi are alive and well in 2023. The duo is often seen traveling back and forth between Argentina, their native country, and Miami, USA. Miami is the current home of their son, who moved to Inter Miami after a two-year stint with PSG.
Lionel Messi grew up in a soccer-loving family, which played an influential role in building up his love and passion for the game. After his initial years with Newell’s Old Boys, Lionel and Jorge Messi moved to Barcelona, Spain in 2000 in order to advance his sporting career and provide him medical care for his growth hormone deficiency.
Lionel Messi’s dad Jorge Messi arriving in Barcelona ahead of his meeting with the club 👀 pic.twitter.com/XkKNdP21Yc
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) September 2, 2020
Both parents played a key role in the upbringing of their son and his journey to the pinnacle of soccer. Jorge Messi has played a more hands-on role with Lionel by acting as his agent throughout his career. Lionel Messi has often expressed his love for his family, including his parents, in numerous interviews over the years.
Who are Lionel Messi’s family members?
Lionel Messi was the third child of the family, which has four children in total. He has three siblings, two elder brothers, Matias and Rodrigo, and a younger sister, Maria. All three siblings are involved with Lionel Messi’s profession, in one way or another.
📸 Messi with his siblings after winning his first Ballon d’Or in 2009 pic.twitter.com/0233FFdoJx
— R (@Lionel30i) April 26, 2022
Matias is often credited with managing the daily routine of Lionel Messi, along with his personal relations with brands. Meanwhile, Maria is a fashion designer, she was responsible for running the clothing label of Lionel Messi’s personal brand. Finally, Rodrigo holds a key regional position in a sports representation agency named Kin Sport Management.
Lionel Messi has two cousins who went on to become professional soccer players. Maximiliano Biancucchi had a 17-year-long career where he had stints in various Argentine clubs before retiring in 2017.
On the other hand, Emanuel Biancucchi currently plays for Campeonato Carioca club Resende. Both of these cousins are connected to the mother side of Lionel Messi and played with him during his childhood.
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Moving on to Antonela Roccuzzo, the wife of Lionel Messi. The couple were childhood sweethearts before going public with their relationship in 2009. They had a lavish wedding in 2017. By the time of their wedding, they already had two sons, Thiago and Mateo in 2012 and 2015 respectively. After the marriage, they welcomed their third son, Ciro in 2018.
Where are Lionel Messi’s parents from?
Jorge Messi and his wife, Celia Cuccittini raised their family in Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina. The couple spent the majority of their years in Argentina before Jorge had to move to Barcelona with his son. The parents of Lionel Messi are from Argentina but has some Italian connection.
As per Messi’s biography by Guillem Balagué, which was published in 2013, Jorge Messi is of Italian and Spanish descent. He comes from a line of immigrants from the north-central Adriatic Marche region of Italy. Celia Cuccittini is of primarily Italian descent. As per some reports, Messi’s ancestors moved to Argentina in 1883.
It is interesting that Lionel Messi was born and raised in Argentina and played for the best part of two decades in Spain, which has a strong Italian connection. Messi holds dual nationality as a naturalized Spaniard. It would be interesting to see if Messi ever tries to get a nationality of Italy due to his history.
Lionel Scaloni with his mom watching Lionel Messi from the stands ❤️🐐 #Messi𓃵pic.twitter.com/50Qs66MwnI
— 𝙷𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚘𝚗 (@harrisonfcb4) August 12, 2023
The hardcore fans of the Argentine know about this Italian connection. They have debated the possible scenarios of Messi’s move to Serie A or the Italian national side due to his Italian connection. In hindsight, Messi would have surely helped the national side of Italy during their transition phase post-2006 World Cup.