Martinez has been in the spotlight over the past few years for her success covering the Argentina national soccer team, alongside her work covering global sporting events such as the Paris Olympics, Formula 1 and the Champions League for ESPN and Argentina’s TV Publica.
During her reporting career, she has interviewed some of Argentina’s greatest sports stars, including Messi. Martinez became famous in particular for her emotional interview with the 37-year-old during the 2022 World Cup – when Argentina won the tournament in a landslide.
The Inter Miami star’s public interactions with Martinez have fueled rumours that they could be romantically involved, despite Messi’s seven-year marriage to childhood sweetheart Antonela Roccuzzo, with whom he shares three sons.
However, days after the rumors spread, Martinez criticized the claims, opening up about the pain it caused her and her family.
“Sometimes when your presence increases, it brings bad things and my family suffers a lot” – Martinez admitted during an appearance on ‘PH: Podemos Hablar’ on Argentine TV channel Telefe.
(Photo: Totalmedios)
Martinez then added, alluding to unfounded fan theories that she and Messi had exchanged flirtatious glances: “This year, people started talking more about ‘What’s wrong with the way he looks at you?’, things like this… and I was caught in the middle of something that I felt ridiculous having to come clean about.”
Martinez also claimed that she was only the target of the rumours because of her gender. She told viewers that Podemos Hablar host Andy Kusnetzoff might see Messi in the same way but would not cause speculation because he is a man.
Neither Messi nor his wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, have responded to the rumours, despite previous claims that the mother-of-three is jealous of her husband’s working relationship with Martinez. In fact, Martinez has previously met Antonela and she has also denied claims of an affair with Messi. In a previous interview with Socios del espectáculo, Martinez insisted that she “doesn’t know where the rumours come from”.
Martinez also praised Antonela for the way she “handles the madness” surrounding her global soccer superstar husband,
Messi and Antonela Roccuzzo first met in the 90s in their hometown of Rosario. The Argentine was just five years old when he met the love of his life. The two spent a lot of time together when they were young. Messi and Antonela’s relationship blossomed during their younger years and the pair kept in touch when the No. 10 left Barcelona at the age of 13. Messi and Antonela then went public with their relationship in 2008.
Messi and Antonela welcomed their first son Thiago in 2012 before having two more sons, Mateo (2015) and Ciro (2018). The couple tied the knot in 2017 in a lavish wedding at a luxury hotel in central Rosario. Antonela is a huge supporter of her husband and is often seen cheering Messi from the stands at his matches.
Meanwhile, Martinez revealed she is still single when asked about her relationship status in an interview with Canal 9 – following her split from journalist Diego Leuco in late 2023.
