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Sofi rubbished the claims linking her to having a romantic relationship with Messi after rumours of her dating the World Cup winner made the rounds.
Lionel Messi, Argentine journalist Sofi Martinez. (X)
Argentine sports journalist Sofi Martinez has addressed the rumours of her dating country legend Lionel Messi. It all started in 2022 when Messi rewrote history by leading Argentina to secure their third World Cup title. After the tournament was wrapped up in Qatar, Sofi interviewed Messiandtheir emotional conversations went viral in no time. Many social media users alleged that the legendary footballer was having a secret affair with Sofi.
Messi has been married to his childhood sweetheart Antonella Roccuzzosince2017. The couple shares three children– Mateo, Thiago and Ciro.
Sofi rubbished the claims linking her to having a romantic relationship with Messi during a recent interaction on the PH: Podemos Hablar Showon Buenos Aires TV station Telefe.“A lot of the time when your exposure increases, it brings things that aren’t so good and my family suffers a lot,” Sofi said, as per the South China Morning Post.
“This year, people began to talk more and more about,‘What’s up with the way he looks at you?’– things like this – and I was caught in the middle of something that made me feel ridiculous to have to clarify,” she added.
The rumours surrounding Sofi date back to 2023 when Brazilian outlet Direto Do Miolo first shed light on her supposed affair with Messi. When the report came out, Daniella Semaan, the wife of former Spanish footballer and a friend of Antonella, called the news “baseless”. “What publication is this that has no meaning and has nothing right,” Semaan said.
Neither Messi nor his wife commented on this gossip. During an interview in 2023, Sofi clarified that Antonella had nothing to do with those rumours.“I have no clue where this comes from. I went out with Antonella once and I hold great respect for how she copes with the chaos surrounding them and the family life they maintain, which I truly love,” Sofi said.
“It’s genuinely admirable to watch how they manage their life together, casually sharing their everyday moments without showy extravagance, so he’s certainly the best in the world alongside Antonella,” the 31-year-old reporter explained further.
Sofi has worked with several renowned publications including ESPN and TV Publica. She has covered many top-tier sports events such as the Olympics, Champions League and Formula One. Before the rumours linking her to Messi became public, Sofi had reportedly dated her fellow Argentine journalist Diego Leuco.