Lionel Messi’s curious family, from convicted felon and self-made millionaire brothers to fashion designer sister
LIONEL MESSI has taken to social media to share a rare snap of his family together as he continues to recover from coronavirus.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward has missed the club's last two league matches after contracting Covid during the festive period.
Messi, 36, tested positive after he had travelled home to Argentina to celebrate Christmas and New Year.
But the six-time Ballon d'Or winner delivered an update on his health last week where he stated he has 'almost recovered'.
And ahead of his comeback, Messi, who has scored just one Ligue 1 goal from 11 games this term, posted a snap of his family on Instagram to his 301 million followers.
Here SunSport takes a look at each of his family members.
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Matias Messi - brother
Messi's older brother was sentenced to two-and-a-half-years in prison in August 2018 for illegal possession of a firearm.
The 39-year-old wasn't sent to jail, however, as he was instead ordered to do community service.
According to Argentinian news outlet La Capital, the decision was reached under a deal with investigating prosecutors.
It was said that the gun was found in late 2017 inside a blood-stained boat, which Matias had crashed in the Parana River.
The incident wasn't Matias' first run-in with the law, after police officers found a firearm in his car in 2015, and he was also arrested in 2008 for allegedly having a loaded firearm in his belt.
Rodrigo Messi - brother
The 41-year-old is a millionaire in his own right due to his successful sports business agency.
Chelsea centre-back Andreas Christensen recently teamed up with Rodrigo, fuelling speculation the Danish defender could be heading to Barcelona.
Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan is also on the books at his Kin agency.
Maria Messi - sister
The 28-year-old recently launched a new bikini range in Argentina which will soon hit stores in Rosario and beyond.
Fashion designer Maria has collaborated with Bikinis Rio to create 'colourful' designs accessible to all.
This project isn't Maria's first trip into the world of fashion design.
In 2019 she participated in the production of her big brother's first street clothing line.
And she has even worked with Virginia Hilfiger, sister of famous designer Tommy Hilfiger.
Celia Maria Cuccittini - Mother
Messi's mum - a former worker in a magnet manufacturing workshop - hit the headlines in 2017 when her son got married to Antonela Roccuzzo.
She broke Argentine tradition by wearing white at the wedding, just like the bride.
It was reported in Argentina that the two families had to book separate entire floors at the luxury hotel complex in Rosario as they are not on speaking terms.
In Argentina, it is considered extremely offensive for anyone other than the bride to wear white at a wedding.
Jorge Messi - father
Jorge, 64, worked in a metal factory before overseeing his son's career.
Speaking of Jorge's relationship with Lionel, a source told The Athletic: "He tries to do everything for his son.
"He has not learned how to step back and move aside and let other people work in a more professional way.
"They are a good family, they love each other, but they do not seem to be particularly good at building relationships with people who can help them."
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