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Lionel Messi remains one of the most iconic soccer players in the world, with a career that spans historic achievements across Argentina, Europe, and now Major League Soccer. After nearly two decades playing for powerhouse clubs like FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, Messi has continued breaking records with Inter Miami — all while leading Argentina to its unforgettable 2022 FIFA World Cup victory. In Qatar, he became the first player to score in every knockout round of a single tournament and the first to win the Golden Ball twice, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest players of all time.
Off the field, Messi shares his life with his wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, whom he’s been with since 2008 and married in 2017. Together, they’ve built a close-knit family with their three sons — Thiago, Mateo, and Ciro — who frequently join him on the field for celebrations and have become fan favorites in their own right. From viral goal moments at youth matches to traveling the world alongside their dad, the Messi boys have grown up surrounded by the sport that shaped their father’s career.
Learn more about Messi’s kids below.
Thiago Messi Roccuzzo
After four years of dating, Lionel and Antonela welcomed their first child Thiago in 2012. Lionel’s older children have followed in his footsteps and shared his love for soccer. The World Cup winner set his kids on the path for success by signing them to the low levels of the Paris Saint Germain Football Club in September 2021, per El Futbolero. This will help lead them to the pros, and they can play with a different team if they’d like.
Ahead of the final World Cup 2022 match against France, Thiago wrote his dad an inspiring letter to help motivate him to win, and it clearly worked. His mom shared it on her Instagram Story. “I was born in Argentina, land of Diego [Maradona] and Lionel,” he wrote, per DailyMail. “The finals we lost, for how many years I cried for her, but that ended in the Maracana, the final with the brazuqas, Dad won it again. Boys, now we are excited again, I want to win the third, I want to be world champion, and we can see Diego from heaven, with Don Diego and La Tota, rooting for Lionel.”
Mateo Messi Roccuzzo
Lionel and Antonela had their second son Mateo in 2015. Like his big brother, Mateo was signed with PSG in 2021, showing that he’s clearly also taken an interest in football. The middle Messi child was there to support his dad through all of the 2022 World Cup games, and he was clearly excited when his dad won, as he was seen grabbing the Golden Ball trophy and ready to run off with it, via B/R Football on Twitter. Perhaps it’s a sign of him winning the award himself sometime in the future?
Ciro Messi Roccuzzo
The soccer star married Antonela in 2017, after nearly a decade together. A year after they tied the knot, they welcomed their youngest son Ciro. Messi’s family is clearly a big inspiration to him, and he definitely kept them close when he competed in the World Cup. He revealed on his set of cleats for the final game, he included tributes to all kids. The shoes were gold, and they had each child’s name and birthday stitched on them in black, as well as “Anto” for his wife, per The Sun.
