By Patricia Uyeh

Barcelona football star, Lionel Messi is reportedly set to marry his childhood girlfriend, Antonella Roccuzzo next summer. Though, there has been no official confirmation yet from Antonella and Lionel, a local journalist, Juan Pablo Varsky broke the news on Wednesday on a radio programme.

According to Mirror UK, the wedding is expected to take place in their native city of Rosario in Argentina. This was where the two lovebirds met as kids  through Lucas Scaglia, Antonella’s footballer cousin and also a close friend of Messi. The entire Barcelona squad are expected to grace the wedding  ceremony along with some ex-players and most of Argentina’s national squad.

The 29-year-old footballer, one year older than his long-term partner, first met supermarket owner’s daughter Antonella when he was nine.

Shortly, after the death of a friend of Antonella’s in a road traffic accident, the couple became inseparable. They started dating in 2008 and have two children Thiago, 4, and Mateo, one. Messi is expected to return to Rosario around June 12 next year after completing a tour with his club.