Lionel Messi was born on June 24, 1987, in Rosario, Argentina, so he is 39 as we write this, having turned 39 on June 24, 2026. He lives in Broward County with his wife Antonela Roccuzzo and their three sons, and he plays his home games at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale for Inter Miami CF.
How old is Messi right now
The quickest way to check for yourself is to subtract 1987 from the current year, then knock off one if today’s date falls before June 24. His birthday makes him a Cancer, which is why he shows up on every “famous June 24 birthdays” list alongside Jack Dempsey and Mick Fleetwood, and that detail gets searched far more than we expected.
He joined Inter Miami in July 2023 at age 36, an age at which most forwards in top leagues have already retired or moved into coaching, and his 2025 season produced 48 regular-season goal contributions, the second most in Major League Soccer history and one behind the record Carlos Vela set with LAFC in 2019. The club announced in late 2025 that his contract now runs through the 2028 season, which would carry him past his 41st birthday, so South Florida residents can plan on seeing him for several more years.
| Milestone | Date | Messi’s age |
|---|---|---|
| First team debut for Barcelona | October 2004 | 17 |
| First Ballon d’Or | December 2009 | 22 |
| Copa América title with Argentina | July 2021 | 34 |
| World Cup win in Qatar | December 2022 | 35 |
| Inter Miami debut and Leagues Cup title | July and August 2023 | 36 |
| Eighth Ballon d’Or | October 2023 | 36 |
| Second Copa América, final at Hard Rock Stadium | July 2024 | 37 |
| MLS Cup with Inter Miami | December 2025 | 38 |
He stands 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 metres), and he has played his entire professional career with that frame, which is part of why the “old, short and slow” framing keeps circulating. The scoring record says the framing is wrong.
Messi’s wife, children and parents
Antonela Roccuzzo was born on February 26, 1988, also in Rosario, so she is eight months younger than her husband. The two met as children through her cousin Lucas Scaglia, who played youth soccer with Messi at Newell’s Old Boys, and they stayed in contact after he moved to Spain as a teenager.
They married on June 30, 2017, at the Hotel City Center casino in Rosario, in a ceremony that Argentine press treated as a national event. Antonela runs her own business interests, including fashion and beauty partnerships, and she is the account most of South Florida follows for glimpses of the family’s life here.
The couple have three sons:
- Thiago, born November 2, 2012, in Barcelona
- Mateo, born September 11, 2015, in Barcelona
- Ciro, born March 10, 2018, in Barcelona
Thiago and Mateo both play in the Inter Miami academy system, and their youth matches have drawn larger-than-usual crowds at the club’s training complex in Fort Lauderdale. We would ask anyone attending those games to remember that these are children’s matches with ordinary families on the sidelines.
Messi’s parents are Jorge Messi, a former steel factory manager who has handled his son’s business affairs for decades, and Celia Cuccittini, who worked in a magnet manufacturing workshop. He has two older brothers, Rodrigo and Matías, and a younger sister, María Sol. The family’s roots in Italy, through his great-grandfather from the Marche region, are why he holds Italian citizenship alongside Argentine and Spanish nationality.
Before fame: from Rosario to Barcelona at 13
Messi began playing for Grandoli, a neighbourhood club coached by his father, before joining the Newell’s Old Boys youth system at around age six. By age ten he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency, and the treatment cost roughly $1,000 a month, a sum that Newell’s, his club at the time, declined to cover.
Barcelona agreed to pay for the treatment when he trialled there in 2000, with the famous first contract outline written on a paper napkin by sporting director Carles Rexach. The family moved to Spain in early 2001, and Messi spent his teenage years in the La Masia academy.
His first team debut came in October 2004 against Espanyol, and his first senior goal arrived in May 2005 against Albacete, from a Ronaldinho assist. From there the numbers became absurd: 672 goals in 778 matches for Barcelona, 10 La Liga titles, four Champions League trophies and the single-season record of 91 goals in calendar year 2012.
Career in numbers
Eight Ballon d’Or awards sit at the top of the list, won in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023. Cristiano Ronaldo, his rival for most of two decades, has five, and Ronaldo was born on February 5, 1985, which makes him a little under two and a half years older than Messi.
Messi’s time at Paris Saint-Germain from 2021 to 2023 brought two Ligue 1 titles, and his first season in Paris coincided with his overdue Copa América win with Argentina in 2021 at the Maracanã. The World Cup in Qatar in December 2022 followed, where he scored seven goals, won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player and lifted the trophy after a penalty shootout against France.
Since arriving in Fort Lauderdale he has added the 2023 Leagues Cup, the 2024 Supporters’ Shield, back-to-back MLS MVP awards and the 2025 MLS Cup, won at Chase Stadium. He also finished 2025 as the league’s leading scorer. We find the simplest way to explain his standing to visitors is this: he is the only player in history to win a World Cup, a Champions League and an Olympic gold medal while also holding the record for most Ballon d’Or wins.
Messi’s Argentina hat tricks
The search phrase “messi argentina hat trick” spikes every time he scores three for the national team, and the most recent one as we write was the 6-0 World Cup qualifying win over Bolivia at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires in October 2024. That was his tenth hat trick for Argentina, which places him far ahead of any other player in the country’s history.
| Opponent | Competition | Year | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | Friendly | 2012 | 3 |
| Brazil | Friendly (New Jersey) | 2012 | 3 |
| Guatemala | Friendly | 2013 | 3 |
| Panama | Copa América Centenario (Chicago) | 2016 | 3 |
| Ecuador | World Cup qualifier (Quito) | 2017 | 3 |
| Haiti | Friendly | 2018 | 3 |
| Bolivia | World Cup qualifier | 2021 | 3 |
| Estonia | Friendly | 2022 | 5 |
| Curaçao | Friendly | 2023 | 3 |
| Bolivia | World Cup qualifier | 2024 | 3 |
The Ecuador match in 2017 is the one Argentines bring up first, because the team was on the edge of missing the World Cup in Russia and he scored all three goals at altitude in Quito to qualify them. Two of the ten came on United States soil, which makes sense given how often Argentina has toured here, including the friendly against Puerto Rico at Chase Stadium in October 2025.
He has scored well over 100 goals for Argentina and is the national team’s all-time leading scorer and most-capped player. For the current totals, the Argentine Football Association’s official site and the FIFA player profile are the places to confirm, since the numbers move every international window.
Life in South Florida
The family settled in Fort Lauderdale rather than Miami proper, buying a waterfront home in the Bay Colony area of northeast Fort Lauderdale in 2023 for a reported price above $10 million. That keeps them within a short drive of the Inter Miami training facility and Chase Stadium, both off Commercial Boulevard near Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. Messi also owns a unit in the Porsche Design Tower in Sunny Isles Beach, purchased years before he joined the club.
Spotting the family around town has become a Broward sport in itself. The restaurants he has been photographed at get crowded for weeks afterward, so we would rather point you to the matches, where he actually wants an audience.
The club is building Miami Freedom Park near Miami International Airport, a 25,000-seat stadium that is scheduled to become Inter Miami’s permanent home. Until it opens, every home match is in Fort Lauderdale, which surprises a lot of visitors who book hotels in South Beach and then face a 40-minute drive north on I-95.
Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, home of the Miami Dolphins and the Orange Bowl, is where he lifted the Copa América in July 2024 after Argentina beat Colombia 1-0. Hard Rock Stadium, not Chase Stadium, is also the South Florida host venue for the 2026 World Cup, so check the FIFA schedule for which matches land there and whether Argentina is drawn into that venue.
How to see Messi play in South Florida
Quick steps: see Messi at Chase Stadium
- Check the Inter Miami schedule on the club’s official site and note the MLS, Leagues Cup and cup fixtures.
- Buy tickets only through the club’s official ticketing partner or its verified resale platform.
- Confirm the day before that Messi is in the matchday squad, since the club rests him for some midweek games.
- Pre-purchase parking through the club or plan a rideshare drop-off, because street parking near NW 55th Street is restricted.
- Arrive at least 90 minutes before kickoff to clear security and the walk from the lots.
- Pack for heat and afternoon storms from May through October.
What you need
- Mobile tickets loaded in the club’s app or the ticketing app
- Pre-paid parking pass or rideshare plan
- Clear bag that meets the stadium bag policy
- Sunscreen, hat and a refillable water bottle (confirm current bottle rules)
- Rain poncho in summer, since umbrellas are usually not allowed
Good to know
Fake Messi tickets are a steady problem on social media and classified sites. Prices on the official resale platform jump above $300 for upper sections on the days he is confirmed to play, and nobody is selling legitimate seats below face value by direct message.
Local tip
Midweek Leagues Cup and U.S. Open Cup matches often sell for a fraction of Saturday MLS prices, and Messi plays most of them when the club is chasing a trophy. Broward residents also get an easier drive from Commercial Boulevard than anyone coming up from Miami-Dade.
When to get help
Call the Inter Miami ticket office through the number listed on the club’s official site if your mobile tickets fail to transfer, and contact your card issuer immediately if a third-party seller stops responding. For accessibility seating, email the club’s ADA contact listed on the stadium page before buying.
Ticket demand works much like the seasonal spikes we see for Miami Heat tickets when a playoff run begins, and the same rule applies: the official channel costs more up front and almost never costs more in the end. Anyone planning a longer sports weekend can pair a Chase Stadium match with a Miami Marlins game at loanDepot park, which is rarely sold out and a 40-minute drive south.
FAQ
How old was Messi when he joined Inter Miami?
He was 36 when he signed in July 2023 and scored a stoppage-time free kick on his debut against Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup. He had turned 36 a few weeks earlier.
How old is Messi’s wife?
Antonela Roccuzzo was born on February 26, 1988, so she is eight months younger than her husband. They have been married since June 2017.
What zodiac sign is Messi?
Cancer, because his birthday falls on June 24. He shares the date with no other Ballon d’Or winner, which is why birthday-list sites feature him so heavily.
How old will Messi be at the 2026 World Cup?
The tournament opens in June 2026 and he turns 39 during the group stage, on June 24. He has said his participation depends on form and fitness, and Argentina’s final squad will be confirmed on the Argentine FA’s official site.
Is Messi playing Spain?
Argentina, as Copa América champions, are scheduled to play Spain, the European champions, in the Finalissima in 2026. Confirm the date and venue on the FIFA or CONMEBOL official sites, since both have shifted before.
Where does Messi live?
In Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, with his wife and three sons. The club plays in Fort Lauderdale as well until Miami Freedom Park opens in Miami-Dade.
