Lionel Messi’s wife Antonela joined by his mother Celia for Argentina icon’s emotional farewell… two months on from father’s tragic death
Lionel Messi’s family gathered at Estadio Monumental for the final game of his international career on Tuesday night.
The 39-year-old’s wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, was joined by their children and Messi’s mother, Celia María Cuccittini, for the friendly against Benin.
They wore Messi jerseys and were seen filming and clapping as the No 10 emerged for warm-ups before being introduced to the 85,000-strong crowd in Buenos Aires. Messi’s three sons – Thiago, Mateo and Ciro – then accompanied him as he walked out of the tunnel for before kickoff.
The Argentina icon will bring the curtain down on his international career after 21 years, 125 goals, two Copa America titles and a World Cup victory.
In Messi’s 208th Argentina appearance, Lionel Scaloni’s team face West African minnows Benin but the otherwise-unremarkable friendly has become a seismic moment for Argentine soccer.
The game also comes almost two months to the day since Messi’s father, Jorge, died at the age of 68.
Lionel Messi’s wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, is in Buenos Aires for his final game for Argentina
She was joined by Messi’s mother, Celia María Cuccittini, for the friendly against Benin
The Argentina icon will bring the curtain down on his international career after 21 years
Messi’s father Jorge, pictured at the 2022 World Cup final, died in August at the age of 68
Back on August 7, Jorge Messi reportedly died in a hospital in Rosario, close to the family home, a couple of months after the family revealed he had been rushed to hospital with an ongoing ‘health situation’.
Jorge Messi served as his son’s agent and business manager, and following his death, the 39-year-old admitted he was unsure how much longer his career would last.
‘All I ever did was play football, and now I have a fair few doubts as to whether I’ll carry on doing it for much longer,’ Messi said.
‘You were by my side from the start, we were so close to the end (of his career). Why didn’t you hang on just that little bit longer so we could finish it together?’
Following Tuesday night’s swansong, Messi will continue to play for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer but on August 31, he announced he would be retiring from international football.
That decision came just weeks after the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium near New York, where Spain beat Argentina and Messi’s World Cup journey ended in tears.
