Lionel Messi at 39: Inside His Love Story, Family Life and Argentina World Cup Magic
At age 39, Lionel Messi is still breaking World Cup records—and still deeply devoted to childhood sweetheart Antonela Roccuzzo and their three sons
Key Takeaways
- Lionel Messi at 39 keeps scoring for Argentina in the 2026 World Cup.
- He remains with Inter Miami through 2028 while active as a soccer dad.
- From a kid in Rosario, Argentina to a global star—inside his roots and lifelong passion.
At age 39, Lionel Messi continues to redefine longevity on the sport’s biggest stage. The Argentine captain just delivered another chapter in his World Cup legacy, driving a dramatic comeback win over Egypt in the Round of 16 on July 7, 2026, as he chases a second straight title with Argentina. It’s a fitting backdrop for a question fans keep circling back to: how does he seem to get better and better at his game with age?
Messi has been playing at the top of the sport for two decades now, and his age has become part of the conversation as he juggles international duty with his club career. Even as he pursues more World Cup glory, Messi remains committed to Inter Miami, with his contract running through the 2028 season—meaning MLS fans get to keep watching him well past this tournament, as the reigning-champion Herons look to defend their title in 2026.
Here’s what to know about Messi’s age, his record-breaking career at Inter Miami and the family life he shares with his childhood sweetheart, Antonela Roccuzzo.
How old is Messi?
At 39, Messi is doing things nobody his age has any business doing. He kicked off the 2026 World Cup with a hat trick against Algeria, followed by a brace against Austria and then came off the bench to score his sixth goal of the group stage against Jordan with a stunning 89th-minute free kick. Those goals made him the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer with 19, the Miami Herald reported, and he broke a 56-year-old record by scoring in seven consecutive World Cup matches.
His close friend and teammate Rodrigo De Paul put it best when reporters asked how the team feels playing alongside him at this stage of his career.
“We have to enjoy Leo Messi every single day just as every Argentinean citizen does,” De Paul said. “We always value things we don’t have anymore; that’s part of life. So, for now, we are enjoying having him around. It means a lot to be a good friend of Leo Messi. I consider myself a very lucky man, sharing moments with him on and off the pitch.”
Messi himself has always credited both talent and hard work. “I always said that God gave me a gift. He blessed me. And I was like that from a very young age,” he said during a public conversation in Miami last fall. “But later, along the way, I made a lot of sacrifices, a lot of effort to strengthen that gift I had.”
A record-breaking chapter in Miami
Messi joined Inter Miami in 2023 after leaving European soccer, and three years later, the club has been transformed. He led them to the MLS Cup title in December 2025 and was honored, alongside his teammates, at the White House by President Donald Trump on March 5, 2026. Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas has said Messi earns between $70 million and $80 million a year across salary and his ownership share in the team, calling him “worth every penny,” according to Us Weekly.
His new three-year deal keeps him in pink through 2028, and he’s already looking ahead to playing in Miami Freedom Park stadium when it opens.
Meeting Antonela at age 5
But for all the trophies and records, Messi has said again and again that his real anchor is the woman he’s known nearly his whole life.
Messi first met Antonela Roccuzzo when he was 5 years old in their hometown of Rosario, Argentina, introduced through his childhood best friend, midfielder Lucas Scaglia, who happens to be Roccuzzo’s cousin. They were kids running around the same neighborhood, part of the same small circle of families.
Then, at 13, Messi left home to pursue his soccer training in Spain. Life took them in different directions—until tragedy brought them back together.
In 2005, Roccuzzo’s closest friend died in a car accident. Messi flew back to Rosario to comfort her. Four years later, they publicly confirmed their romance. He proposed in 2010, and they welcomed their first son, Thiago, in 2012.
The couple finally said “I do” in July 2017 in Rosario—the same hometown where it all began.
“That he chose his city, to choose Rosario to come to marry, to bring his companions of Barcelona and other guests to discover the city that saw him grow… it’s just who Leo is,” Messi’s former coach Enrique Domínguez told CNN at the time. “A guy with affection, with memory, a grateful guy because being who he is, he could have been married in the best place in the world.”
Three boys and life as a soccer dad
Messi and Roccuzzo now share three sons: Thiago, Mateo (born 2015) and Ciro (born 2018). And if you ask Messi what changed him most, it wasn’t a trophy.
“You grow and you learn. You gather experience in all aspects of life, on and off the field,” he told Marca in 2019. “But, as a human being, having three children changed my perspective on life, my way of thinking and it also helped me grow.”
He’s now firmly in his soccer-dad era, and he loves it. “I’m lucky to be able to accompany them to training sessions, to games. They come to my games and are very close to the pitch,” he said at a recent public appearance covered by the Miami Herald. “They’re passionate about soccer, they spend all day playing with the ball. I like that they’re growing up playing this sport because it’s a sport that I love and I’ve been able to pass that on to them.”
He’s also open about the guilt so many working parents feel. “As they grow up, I try to be there for them in everything they need. I missed out on a lot of things because of my profession, because I was often at training camps, at games, I missed birthdays. And today I enjoy those little moments much more.”
When Argentina won the 2022 World Cup, Roccuzzo and their boys were in the stands, all wearing his No. 10 jersey.
“From the very beginning, from kick-off to the final whistle, I’m thinking of my children,” Messi said after that tournament. “They’re growing older. They understand better what’s going on and they enjoy it more.”
A Miami home—and a partnership that started with two kids from Rosario
Roccuzzo, now 38, has become a star in her own right, with 36.1 million Instagram followers and brand ambassador deals for Alo yoga wear, CASETiFY and Guerlain. The family’s move to South Florida in 2023, Messi has said, felt different from every other transition in his career because it was a choice they made together.
“This change was different because it was a family decision, and we decided to pursue my career in Miami and I think that means a lot, choosing where you want to be,” he said.
Two kids from Rosario, one Ballon d’Or after another, three little boys in matching jerseys and a love story that started before either of them could tie their own soccer cleats. However this World Cup ends, that’s the real legacy.
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