Lionel Messi led Argentina to a 4-2 penalty shootout win over France in the FIFA World Cup final on Sunday. He was the country's top scorer in the finals and also won the Golden Boot award, which means he was the top performer in the tournament. He single handedly steered his team in its quest to lift the coveted FIFA World Cup. Later, when asked about his retirement, he said he wanted to play a few more games as a world champion. However, this would be his last world cup. Messi also won the Golden Ball, which is awarded to the best player in the tournament. Soon after his win, he received a peg on the cheek from his wife Antonella Roccuzzo. The woman has had a strong impact on the man's professional career. Who is she?
Lionel Messi's wife Antonella is a model in Argentina. They have known each other since childhood. She comes from the same city as Messi. Initially, they were in a long-distance relationship. However, a tragedy brought them closer together. They are quite inseparable since.
Messi and Antonella come from the same city of Rosario. They have known each other since the age of five. She was a cousin of his friend. They used to visit each other's home as children.
In 2007, the woman's friend passed away in a car accident. Messi had been in Barcelona to fulfil his football dream. However, he didn't leave his friend in this state. He would frequently visit her place to support and comfort her. Their relationship reached a new level after this episode.
The woman was going to be a dentist but dropped out of the course as she wanted to remain close to Messi, who was a football star by then.
She is also an Instagram model. She has over 22 million followers on Instagram. In 2016, she entered into a contract with designer Ricky Sarkany. She also opened a boutique with her friend Sofia Balbi, the wife of Messi's ex-teammate, Luis Suarez.
They got married in 2017. Several global celebrities attended the bash that was termed the wedding of the century.
They have three children -- Thiago, Matteo and Ciro.
