Messi was at one stage romantically linked to Macarena Lemos, also from his hometown of Rosario. He is said to have been introduced to her by the girl’s father when he returned to Rosario to recover from his injury a few days before the start of the 2006 World Cup. He has in the past also been linked to the Argentine glamour model Luciana Salazar.
In January 2009, he told “Hat Trick Barça”, a programme on : “I have a girlfriend and she is living in Argentina. I am relaxed and happy”. He was seen with the girl, Antonella Roccuzzo, at a carnival in Sitges after the Barcelona-Espanyol derby. Roccuzzo is a fellow native of Rosario. On 2 June 2012, Messi assisted and scored a goal in Argentina’s 4–0 win against Ecuador in a World Cup 2014 Qualifying match. He celebrated scoring his 23rd goal for Argentina, by placing the ball under his jersey, as his girlfriend was reportedly 12 weeks pregnant. She posted on Twitter that she expected to give birth in September. Messi stated that the child, a son, would be born in October, and that he and his girlfriend would name him Thiago.
However, the birth came later than expected. On 2 November 2012, Messi became a father for the first time following the birth of his son Thiago. FC Barcelona’s official website briefly stated “Leo Messi is a father”. Besides, the Argentine striker added on his Facebook page: “Today I am the happiest man in the world, my son was born and thanks to God for this gift!” He also had the boy’s name and handprints tattooed on his left calf.
To celebrate his son’s first birthday, Messi and Thiago were part of a publicity campaign for UNICEF. Those who signed up and participated in the social-media campaign had the chance to win a pair of Messi’s shoes or a signed Messi T-shirt.
Messi has two cousins also involved in football: Maxi, a winger for Club Olimpia of Paraguay, and Emanuel Biancucchi, who plays as a midfielder for Paraguay’s Independiente F.B.C..
In 2013, Messi, a devout Roman Catholic, met Pope Francis, himself a fan of Argentine club San Lorenzo, at the Vatican, with Messi stating; “Without a doubt, today was one of the most special days of my life. We have to excel on and off the field.”
Messi has maintained close ties to Rosario and his family since leaving for Spain, and has gone to great lengths to maintain them. He keeps in daily contact via phone and text with a small group of confidants from Rosario, most of them fellow members of “The Machine of ’87”. One time when he was in training with the Argentina national team in Buenos Aires, he made a three-hour trip by car to Rosario immediately after practice to have dinner with his family, spent the night with them, and then returned to Buenos Aires the next day in time for practice. Messi has also kept ownership of his old house in Rosario, although his family no longer lives in it; he maintains a penthouse apartment in an exclusive residential building in which his mother lives (Messi’s father spends most of his time in Spain with him), as well as a family compound just outside the city.
ALIEN MESSI 