Messi’s Wedding: Real Madrid Players Snubbed As The Who Is Who Of The Footballing World Is Invited

Lionel Messi’s wedding is set to be the event of the summer. The five-time Ballon d’Or wier is getting married today, less than a week after his 30th birthday.

His wife to be, Antonella Roccuzzo, is the mother of his two sons; four-year-old Thiago and Mateo, who will be two in September and have been dating since 2008 although they have known each other since the age of five.

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The buildup to the relatively fairly tale affair has unfortunately been overshadowed by the wedding guest list which does not feature any player from arch-rivals Real Madrid. There was, however, an exception for Messi’s national teammate, Angel Di Maria, who controversially parted ways with Los Blancos in 2014.

All 21 players in the Barca first team were invited including stars such as Luis Suarez, Neymar, Gerard Piqué, Ivan Rakitic and Sergio Busquets. Reports in Spain also say that the entire Barcelona backroom staff are also on the guest list. That includes all kitmen, doctors, physiotherapists, and masseurs.

Some of Lionel Messi’s former Barcelona team-mates including Carles Puyol, Cesc Fabregas, Xavi and Samuel Eto’o were invited and have already arrived Argentina. Puyol’s wife, Vanessa Lorenzo, took to Instagram to share a photo of the group.

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero will be going to the event, as will Brazil and Nou Camp legend Ronaldinho.

Notable absentees at the event include Diego Maradona, ex-Barca boss Luis Enrique or any of his coaching team and most notably, any members of the Barcelona board who were all snubbed. Andres Iniesta will also not be present due to the birth of his third child.

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Messi’s Wedding Venue And Security

Messi’s wedding will be in Rosario, Santa Fe, the city where he grew up and played for his first football club, Newell’s Old Boys. The venue for the occasion, City Center Rosario, is a flashy hotel and casino complex located in the middle of town but right next to a tough neighborhood called Las Flores, where the Los Monos drug gang has a strong presence.

A team of 200 security agents led by a former Argentinian military official has, however, been made available to be present to ensure no unwanted guests crash the premises.

300 other police officers have also been deployed at key points in the gritty port city to ensure that guests travel safely to the venue.

Regardless of the fact that Rosario is considered one of Argentina’s most dangerous cities with a homicide rate twice the national rate, it is where Messi and his wife-to-be calls home and visits every year.

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So what gifts does someone one who earns around £62 million a year receive? Nothing!

The couple has requested for people to not give material gifts but to instead make donations to his charity, the Leo Messi Foundation, which supports children in healthcare, education, and sport.