Argentinian sports reporter breaks silence on Lionel Messi affair rumors

Argentinian sports presenter Sofi Martinez has defiantly debunked rumors of an affair with Lionel Messi, calling the rumors ‘ridiculous’.

Martinez has come into the spotlight in recent years for her success as a reporter for the Argentina national football team, in addition to her work covering global sporting events such as the Paris Olympics, Formula 1 and the Champions League for ESPN and Argentina’s TV Publica.

For her work, the journalist has interviewed some of Argentina’s biggest sports stars, including Messi. In particular, Martinez went viral for her emotional interview with the 37-year-old during Argentina’s triumphant 2022 World Cup.

The Inter Miami star’s public interactions with Martinez have sparked rumors that they could be in a romantic relationship, despite Messi’s seven-year marriage to childhood sweetheart Antonela Roccuzzo, with whom he shares three sons.

However, Martinez has denied the claims and opened up about the pain it has caused her and her family.

“When your exposure increases, it often brings things that are not so good and my family suffers a lot,” Martinez admitted during an appearance on ‘PH: Podemos Hablar’ on the Argentinian channel Telefe.

The football star has been married to childhood sweetheart Antonela Roccuzzo since 2017

The reporter, who has become famous, has interviewed the Inter Miami star several times

“This year people started talking more and more about, ‘What’s going on with the way he looks at you,’ this kind of thing, and I was in the middle of something that made me feel ridiculous for having to clarify,” Martinez said. added, referencing the baseless fan theories that claimed the pair exchanged flirty glances.

Martinez also claimed that she became the target of the rumors solely because of her gender. She told the audience that ‘Podemos Hablar’ presenter Andy Kusnetzoff could look at Messi in the same way, but would not give rise to speculation because he is a man.

Neither Messi nor Antonela have commented on the rumours, despite past claims that the mother-of-three was jealous of her husband’s working relationship with Martinez.

Martinez, who previously met Antonela, dismissed these claims, insisting she “didn’t know where it came from.” previous interview with Socios del espectáculo.

The reporter also praised Antonela for the way “she deals with the madness” surrounding the global football superstar.

Messi and Antonela first met in the 1990s in their hometown of Rosario. The Argentinian was only five years old when he met the love of his life.

Antonela was the cousin of Messi’s childhood friend Lucas Scaglia. The two lovebirds ended up spending a significant amount of time together when they were young.

Messi and Antonela’s relationship blossomed during their younger years and the pair stayed in touch when the number 10 left for Barcelona at the age of 13. In 2008, Messi and Antonela made their relationship public.

Martinez has dismissed the claims and opened up about the pain it has caused her and her family

Martinez has come into the spotlight in recent years for her success in multiple sporting events, most notably the Argentina team’s victory at the World Cup and the Copa America

Messi shares three sons – Thiago, 12, Mateo, 9, and Ciro, 6, – with wife Antonela

Messi and Antonela welcomed their first son Thiago in 2012, before having two more sons Mateo (2015) and Ciro (2018).

The couple married in 2017 during a lavish wedding at a luxury hotel in the heart of Rosario.

She is a big supporter of her husband and can often be seen cheering him on from the stands during his matches.

Meanwhile, Martinez revealed she was as single as possible as she pressed her relationship status in an interview with Canal 9 following her split from fellow journalist Diego Leuco in late 2023 and amid further romance rumors linking her to Argentine TV personality Marcos Ginocchio.