Lionel Messi marries childhood sweetheart in lavish wedding

Lionel Messi and Antonela Rocuzzo on their wedding day. Photo / Getty Images

Leo Messi, the arena's greatest footballer, married his childhood sweetheart as of late in a lavish Argentinian ceremony.

More than 250 family and friends - including some of soccer's biggest stars - jetted to Argentina, to observe the carrying celebrity, 30, marry Antonella Roccuzzo, 29, at the plush resort complicated as an alleged circle of relatives feud threatened to overshadow the day.

The couple, who have identified each and every different for some 25 years, banned cellphones on the tournament. Staff had been additionally sworn to secrecy and 450 cops have been drafted in for the massive day, reported the Daily Mail.

The world's press lined a pink carpet on the front of the lodge in Rosario. Guests chose whether they walked alongside it to be photographed and interviewed, or went via a discreet facet front.

Samuel Eto'o was once the first visitor to stroll alongside the pink carpet and past the world's press, adopted by Aguero and girlfriend Karina, Cesc Fabregas and fiance Daniella Seeman, Antonella's best friend, and Argentine national workforce participant Ezequiel Lavezzi.

Barcelona teammate Neymar arrived on his own as a result of, according to Argentinian media, he proposed to girlfriend Bruna Marquezine and he or she said no.

Women visitors were reportedly inspired to bring 3 clothes to to steer clear of clashes or repeats of garments, or even colours and textures, whilst male visitors had been instructed to take three different types of shirts.

The wife of former Argentina and Manchester City defender Marin Demichelis, playboy type Evangelina Anderson, reportedly brought five attire to ensure she her outfit wasn't similar to any of the other WAGS.

The instance was once in brief interrupted by way of a body of workers representing 600 people who had just lately been sacked from Pepsico in town, who took good thing about the media presence to protest with banners and chants.

Earlier in the day a bunch of window cleaners who are living in the native space delivered a letter addressed to Messi, complaining that the protection cordon intended they could not paintings on within sight homes and that that they had lost a day's pay.

Meanwhile, one Messi superfan, a Brazilian referred to as Alex who is also a Messi double, claimed he had come to Rosario to marry his wife at exactly the similar time as the footballer, on a selfmade altar on the pavement out of doors the lodge.

Local taxi company Easytaxi have also got into the Messi wedding temper, offering a 35 pesos bargain to anyone who books a cab with the code LEOSECASA, or "Leo is getting married".

Related articles

There was once one facet which threatened to overshadow the Barcelona big name's big day - claims in Argentina of hysteria between his close-knit family and the girl he fell in love with on the age of five.

Earlier an aunt of Messi's used to be stuck out continue to exist TV when an America TV channel called her to interview her about her nephew and he or she revealed bitterly that she hadn't been invited to the wedding.

When the girl came upon she was once live on air she hung up, and when the show known as again she responded in tears, blamed Messi's 'horrible' mother Celia for being shafted from the ceremony.

She added that Celia had 'cut up up' the circle of relatives, complaining that extra family members from her facet of the circle of relatives had received invitations to the wedding than that of Messi's father Jorge.

A source close to the Messi family advised MailOnline that members of the family between his family and fiancée Antonella Roccuzzo had additionally been strained for almost seven years.

The good friend said that whilst the two households might appear united all through this night's luxurious celebrations there have been stress in the past.

Messi and Antonella, who have two sons, selected to marry in their home the town of Rosario, northern Argentina, where they grew up together.

The good friend, who knew the Messi circle of relatives ahead of the footballer was famous and accompanied them on their first trips to Barcelona, said unhealthy emotions first emerged in 2010, earlier than the South Africa World Cup.

He stated: "An Argentinian interviewer was talking to Messi's mum about her and her husband going over to South Africa to see Messi play.

"He discussed that Antonella was once already there, and she declared: 'Antonella, Antonella, who is Antonella?'

"It caused tension in the family, and Messi told his parents to stay in Argentina. The two families have struggled to be amicable since then."

The two households are staying apart at the identical resort during tonight's wedding celebrations, with the Messi family renting one ground and Antonella's family every other, claimed revered news web site ElIntransigente.com.

Argentina's Noticias site additionally reviews that the circle of relatives fell out with the bride to be.

But the Messi circle of relatives dismissed studies of a feud between the households as 'nonsense'.

A chum of the big name added: "The relationship between the families is really good, they get on really well and that's why they are getting married today.

"Claims that they it is not are absolutely false. Last night time, for example, there was once a cocktail at the resort where both families where having dinner together and talking to one another, guffawing, making jokes."

Messi had reportedly wanted to have a big wedding in the majestic Catedral de Rosario in the historic centre of the city.

But after his father sacked the wedding planner claiming the nuptials were getting too expensive, and drastically cutting the list of guests, he had to look elsewhere.

The smaller Parroquia Nuestra Senora de las Nieves was also thought to be a possible church for the couple to marry in but for security reasons they decided against it, instead choosing the City Center Rosario, which was reportedly offered free of charge.

Determined to have a religious ceremony presided by a priest, Messi said he wanted to build a chapel inside the hotel complex, as in Argentina priests can only take weddings inside a church or chapel - but the city's Catholic church refused to allow the chapel to be built so close to a 'sinful' casino.

Messi did not have a religious ceremony and the civil proceedings were said to have lasted only 15 minutes.

The witnesses who signed the registry were Lionel and Antonella's brothers and sisters. Argentinian media have picked up on the fact that the number of the registry for Messi's marriage is 00077510 - ending with the number 10.

Like every couple getting married in the country, the couple paid the judge marrying them, Gonzalo Carrillo Herrera, the sum of 7000 pesos, or around £232.

Guests at the wedding will receive as their souvenir of the big day a bottle of Messi's own budget brand of wine - which sells for £16.

Those arriving at the City Center hotel complex in Rosario receive a box with a bottle of the L10 wine, as well as a small jar of dulce de leche caramel sauce, according to the TcSSports website.

A card in the box reads: "Welcome. Thank you for sharing with us this special second. Leo and Anto."

Andres Beltramo, an Argentinian journalist based in Rome, tweeted a photo of the gift.

Meanwhile, accredited journalists arriving at the wedding venue have been told they will not be kept inside a small room and will not be allowed near the ceremony or guests, according to an Argentinian reporter for Gente magazine.

The reporters have been told that they will only be able to interview anyone at the wedding if any of the famous guests wants to give an interview and goes to the press room, only being let out at 10.30pm.

In Rosario, three rings of security have been placed around the City Center complex to ensure no unauthorised persons get close to the proceedings.

Residents say they are surprised at the 'budget' wedding of Rosario's most famous child, one of the world's wealthiest footballing stars.

They say that Messi moved the venue of the wedding to the City Center hotel on the scruffy outskirts of town after the owners offered the casino complex for free, while the family also managed to get many other items for free, such as Messi's mother's and sister's designer dresses.

On Thursday some of the world's most famous soccer stars arrived in Rosario aboard 12 private jets and with guaranteed VIP entrance into Rosario, few people noticed another private plane touch down in the town.

It is understood the plane was carrying the wedding dress - accompanied by two bodyguards - in which Antonella will walk down the aisle.

The dress, as well as two others the bride will wear during the night, was made by designer Rosa Clara, who has also dressed Eva Longoria, Sofia Vergara and the Queen of Spain.

Most of the WAGS attending the wedding have chosen the same designer.

Luis Suarez's wife Sofia Balbi, Sergio Busquet's partner Elena Galera, Jordi Alba's fiancée Roma Ventura and Xavi Herdandez's wife Nuria Cunillera will all be wearing Rosa Clara dresses for the occasion.

Messi was wearing an Armani suit and his mother and sister's dresses have been designed by Argentinian designer Claudio Cosano.

The footballer has requested that local hairdresser Dante Palavechino does his hair for the wedding.

Security is so tight around the venue, the City Center Rosario casino complex, that there will be nearly twice as many police officers as the 260 guests.

The Messis have also drafted in a private team of ex-Mossad security personnel who will be in charge of security at the event, while waiting staff have been told to be on standby to hear what roles they will play.

One bartender at the venue told MailOnline: "Nobody knows what will happen. They informed us that we can handiest know what we can be doing a few minutes prior to the wedding begins.

"And they told us to come ready to sign a confidentiality agreement, and to leave our mobile phones at home."

The staff member also claimed that a cell phone blocker had additionally been put in in the venue to prevent any of the guests, who may also sleep inside the complicated, sending or posting photos of lawsuits.

To add to the sense of puzzle, shut pals of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner the day gone by informed Argentinian media the 'leaked menu' which showed that visitors would dine on 'locro' stew, empanada pastries and sushi, used to be faux and even perhaps deliberately launched to divert consideration from what is in point of fact planned.

But whilst it sort of feels that no expense has been spared for soccer's most expected wedding, it was published the day gone by that the event was once if truth be told lower in size through Messi's thrifty father as costs spiralled.

Jorge Messi, who controls the footballer's finances, had employed Argentina's most famous wedding planner Barbara Diez, who additionally organised the wedding of Argentina's president Mauricio Macri, and he or she was working on an tournament with six hundred guests at the Rosário's even plusher Hotel Puerto Norte.

But she was once allegedly left 'livid' after Messi senior reportedly sacked her and employed an unknown wedding planner from Rosario, selecting a less expensive venue and slicing the collection of visitors to 260.

The City Center Rosario, in contrast to Messi's previous selection, is in a poorer part of the town and borders a neighborhood infamous for crime and known as the birthplace of the bloody medication gang Los Monos.

The last minute change led to a couple visitors, including Sergio Aguero and female friend Karina Tejeda, and Gerard Pique and Shakira, receiving invitations with the fallacious venue and time - 10am, now not 7pm - and the mistaken RSVP e-mail, in step with stories.

The bridal lunch, which had been scheduled to take place in the native Country Funes Hill non-public condominium out of doors of Rosario, was also reportedly cancelled by means of Jorge Messi over price concerns.

But if the wedding had been downsized, few of those that might be enjoying the festivities this night will understand.

Yesterday the primary non-public jets touched down at Rosario's small airport carrying visitors together with Xavi, Cesc Fabregas, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Samuel Eto'o and Carlos Puyol.

One of the first arrivals, Jose Pinto, a detailed buddy from Barcelona, posted a photograph on Instagram the day prior to this afternoon of him with Messi and other pals in what seems to be a local cafe, in front of a table of food and drinks, with the words: 'the crowd again in combination'.

All of Messi's visitors, that are anticipated to also include striker Neymar, Suarez, and PSG's Angel Di Maria, had been given VIP get entry to to the city, meaning that if they prefer they do not have to go through the airport terminal.

Recently municipal staff planted shrubs alongside the road in entrance of the hotel the place the world's press will film the coming of celebrities.

While 150 newshounds from around the globe have been authorised for the wedding by means of the event's organisers, they have been warned they will be saved in an enclosed space till 10.30pm and can have "totally prohibited access to the areas where the wedding will take place".

Once throughout the lodge complicated, visitors could have their hair styled by means of one in all 70 hairdressers who are on standby in 3 of the hotel's rooms.

There can also be a nanny provider for kids and leisure whilst their parents watch the wedding ceremony.

Following the civil rite, Serio Aguero's wife, Karina, is expected to perform the tune for the primary dance of the rite, adopted by way of Uruguayan pop bands Rombai and Marama who will stay guests entertained for the remainder of the evening.

Guests may also have the risk to play in the on-site on line casino, bowling alley, grass tennis courts, and indoor and outside swimming pool as well as relax in various bars and eating places inside the complicated.

But they may not have Messi for very long - he has reportedly asked for festivities to finish by means of nighttime as he will be catching a flight back to Barcelona at 4am on Saturday morning.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7r8bHnqmapJRjsLB6zbNmpaGWmsC1xcueZqWhn6OyrXnMnqqsoV2irrO%2ByJ6qZpuYnrmltM6om2arp5qytbTEmqmtZZmjeq2t1aKqoWWnmrGltc2gZoCCZ4CceKCsbGlvjoZ8g5aitYuMjYF2haaGew%3D%3D