Antonella Roccuzzo has been spotted enjoying a day at Universal Orlando with two of the sons she shares with Lionel Messi, as she snubbed Argentina’s Copa America opener.
The wife of the Inter Miami captain dazzled in an all-red gym outfit at the theme park in Florida on Thursday. She took photos with her two eldest sons, Thiago, 11, and Mateo, 8.
“Hogwarts always,” she shared as the caption to her post on Instagram, with a photo of herself posing in front of the castle from the Harry Potter books.
However, fans quickly noticed that Antonella’s eight-time Ballon d’Or winning husband was not at the family outing as he prepared to captain his country against Canada in Atlanta, Georgia.
“Messi doesn’t study at Hogwarts, but he is the best at throwing magic,” one user joked in the comments section of Antonella’s post.
Leo Messi’s wife Antonella dazzled in an all-red outfit while out and about with her kids at Universal Orlando
Messi trains with the Argentina national team ahead of the Copa America opener vs. Canada
‘What is Messi doing?’ asked one fan account of the former Barcelona forward, while another wondered if Messi was playing at the resort.
At 36, Messi could be playing in his final tournament with Argentina at the Copa America.
The World Cup winner will turn 37 during the tournament in the US, which starts on Thursday. He’s clearly past his prime at InterMiami after two decades playing at the highest level in Europe.
Messi has not yet set a date for his retirement and has kept the door open for a sixth World Cup in 2026 to defend his title against Qatar. But he already recognizes his shortcomings.
‘I haven’t thought about that yet. The moment I feel that I am not going to help my team, I will retire,” Messi said in an interview with Saudi broadcaster Riyad Season in March. ‘I’ve always eaten well and trained. But as I grew, I became aware that the physical effort we exert becomes increasingly demanding. As you get older, things get harder.”
Last year, Argentina’s No. 10 struggled with muscle injuries while playing in the MLS and for his country. That didn’t change much in 2024.
There is talk that this summer’s tournament will be Messi’s last due to injuries and age
Messi has shown that he enjoys going out at night with his wife Antonella and friends in Miami. He spends time with his three children, starts new businesses and lives as if football is slowly becoming a smaller part of his life.
Yet he has twelve goals and thirteen assists for Inter Miami this season.
‘I’m enjoying my time at the club. “I am lucky to have teammates and friends (Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, all former Barcelona players) by my side,” Messi told ESPN. ‘I’m having a good time in the national team, where I also have teammates and friends. And I enjoy the little details that I know I’ll miss when I don’t play anymore.’
Angel di Maria, a 36-year-old winger who played alongside Messi for years in the national team, will certainly say goodbye to international football after the Copa America. That has also led to more questions about whether the team’s biggest star will remain in the squad.
‘As long as I feel like I’m doing well and I can continue to contribute, I’m going to do it. The only thing I’m thinking about today is a good participation in the Copa America and being able to participate in it,” Messi told the Star Plus platform in December. “We’re going to fight for it again, like we always did, and try to become champions.”
Messi and Co. will try to win consecutive Copa America titles at the expense of Brazil
Argentina’s all-time top scorer and national team leader with 26 World Cup appearances is also aiming for records in continental competition.
Messi, who won the South American championship in 2021, wants to become the top scorer of the Copa America. He scored thirteen goals in six editions, four behind Argentina’s Norberto Méndez and Brazil’s Zizinho with seventeen.
He also wants to be the player with the most Copa America appearances, a record he currently shares with former Chile goalkeeper Sergio Livingston, both with 34 appearances.
Messi’s teammates don’t want to see him leave.
“We’ll see how long, but as long as he’s here we’re going to enjoy it to the fullest,” said Argentine defender Cristian Romero. “We grew up watching him. We are part of those tournaments.’