Wedding of the Century: Lionel Messi Marries Childhood Sweetheart

steemsports (80)in #steemsports • 7 years ago

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Barcelona superstar Messi, 30 has married his childhood sweetheart Antonella Roccuzzo, 29, in Rosario on Friday 30 June 2017.

Who is Messi?

Lionel Messi (born on 24, June 1987) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for the Spanish club, Barcelona. He is often considered the best player in the world and many regard him as the greatest of all time. He is the only player in the history of World football to win five FIFA Ballon d’Or awards, four of which he won consecutively, and a record-tying four European Golden Shoes (award given to the highest goalscorer in Europe). He has won 29 trophies with Barcelona; eight La Liga titles, four UEFA Champions League, five Copa del Rey.

The Wedding

A civil ceremony for Messi and Antonella Roccuzzo was held at a luxury hotel in the city of Rosario. Football stars and celebrities were among the 260 guests invited to the wedding, with hundreds of police deployed for the event to prevent any disruption of the wedding that has been tagged the ‘wedding of the century’. A giant screen was erected a safe distance outside the venue so fans can share in the ceremony.

Messi married his childhood sweetheart who he has known since he was five years old. She is the cousin of his best friend, Scaglia Lucas, who also became a professional football player. Messi accepted an offer to play for Barcelona when he was 13, on condition that they pay for treatment for his growth hormone deficiency. They began going out in 2008 and have since had two sons together: Thiago who is four-year-old and Mateo who is one-year-old.

A host of footballing greats past and present were in attendance including Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto’o, Suarez, Neymar, Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Xavi, Angel Di Maria, Dani Alves, Cesc Fabregas. A number of guests flew into Rosario on private jets. Messi did not invite Argentina’s big footballing legend, Diego Maradona to the event. Other notable absentees include former Barcelona bosses Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique. He also did not invite coach assistants Juan Carlos, Robert Moreno, Rafel Pol and Joaquin Valdes, or, most notably, any members of the Barcelona board. Angel Di Maria was the only player with a link to Real Madrid that was in attendance. And you guessed right, Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t invited also. Instead of wedding presents, the couple asked their guests for donations to his charity, the Leo Messi Foundation, a foundation that supports kids in healthcare, education, and sport.

Pictures of the Wedding

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The five-time Ballon d’Or award winner is the all-time best, goalscorer, for both his club and country, with over half a century goals for Barcelona (507), Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest soccer player in history. He would be looking to add an international trophy to his name next year when Argentina participates in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, in a bid to cement his place in the history books as the greatest ever.