The 2022 World Cup has ended and with what happened in Qatar, Lionel Messi has confirmed his status as the best player of all time. The life of this football legend contains many interesting stories that are always of great interest to everyone. Lionel Messi is not the only player in the family

Lionel Messi is a really strong player. Football skills are in his blood since he was born. However, very few people know that Lionel Messi is not the only footballer in the family. He has cousins, Emanuel and Maxi Biancucci, who play for clubs in South Africa.

Lionel Messi was almost disabled as a child

It is worth noting that as a child, Lionel Messi was diagnosed with a disease related to the activity of the pituitary gland, so the footballer is quite modest compared to his peers in height and weight. The treatment is very expensive – about 900 euros per month.

Lionel Messi’s full name is Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini, he was born on June 24, 1987 in Rosario, Argentina. (Photo: Reuters) Lionel Messi’s parents can hardly afford such a large budget. Because of his small stature, Lionel Messi was nicknamed “the flea”. So far, Lionel Messi’s height is only 170 cm.

Lionel Messi has a father who always believes in his son’s bright future

Lionel Messi began his football career as a child, playing for the city team. At that time, the player’s father was his agent. The child Lionel Messi was later recruited into the Barcelona youth team, so from the age of 13 Lionel Messi lived with his father in Barcelona.

When young Lionel Messi was playing football for the youth team, his father could only wait and wait. When he might not be able to sign a contract soon, Lionel Messi’s father has always believed in his son’s abilities, expressing his anger and declaring that Lionel Messi will go play football somewhere else.

An interesting fact is that the club’s director, Charly Rexach, was amazed by the play and skill of the young footballer Lionel Messi, and wanted to sign him immediately. But things are not easy when big events happen one after the other.

Currently, Lionel Messi plays as a striker for the Argentine national football team and plays for Paris Saint-Germain in the Ligue 1 tournament. (Photo: Reuters) Joan Gaspart took over as president in the summer of 2000. Luis Figo moved to Real Madrid and Barcelona was in crisis. Nobody dared to sign a professional contract with a 13-year-old boy, especially when the boy came from faraway Argentina, but both parties still found a way to “get around the law.”

On December 14, 2000, in a “quick contract” drawn up on a napkin, Charly Rexach hastily wrote: “I, Charly Rexach, as technical director of FC Barcelona, despite some objections, undertake to sign Lionel Messi as long as the conditions currently being negotiated are met.

Lionel Messi raises his hand on the football pitch to honour the memory of his grandmother

Even though Lionel Messi is a true legendary player, he has very modest manners. When scoring goals, Lionel Messi usually behaves very restrained and, in most cases, simply raises his hands. However, this action of Lionel Messi actually contains more meaning.

As a child, Lionel Messi was very attached to his grandmother, who passed away when he was 10 years old. Lionel Messi has always believed that his grandmother is watching over him from above. Therefore, the act of raising his hand is a way for Lionel Messi to honour his grandmother.

Lionel Messi has a habit of spending all his free time with his family. In 2008 he met Antonella Roccuzzo, an ordinary girl from his hometown who was studying at the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Argentina and who dreamed of becoming a dentist.

After following the call of love and moving in with Lionel Messi in Barcelona, the new beauty became a model and social media influencer. Four years later, she gave birth to the footballer’s first child, Thiago.  Lionel Messi is currently living happily with his “young and old” wife Antonella Roccuzzo and has 3 sons, Mateo Messi Roccuzzo, Thiago Messi and Ciro Messi Roccuzzo. (Photo: Instagram) And 3 years later, the second son, Mateo, was born in the family. In 2018, Messi became a father of many children when Antonella gave birth to his third son, Ciro. Only in 2017, Messi celebrated a wedding with Antonella, marking 20 years since the two met.

During his playing career, Messi has been through many difficulties, from injuries to failures, to being accused of tax evasion and sentenced to prison. Antonella and his children are always by Messi’s side no matter what, helping him weather the storm.

In the football village, with stars on the field, talented, rich, peach blossom and “changing friends like changing clothes”, Lionel Messi is one of the famous players.