Argentine football star Lionel Messi has married his childhood sweetheart in his hometown in what has been called the “wedding of the century”.
A civil ceremony for Messi, 30, and Antonela Roccuzzo, 29, was held at a luxury hotel in the city of Rosario.
Football stars and celebrities were among the 260 guests, with hundreds of police deployed for the event.
Messi, the Argentina and Barcelona forward, first met Roccuzzo before he moved to Spain aged just 13.
Among the guests at Friday’s wedding were Messi’s Barcelona teammates Luis Suárez, Neymar, Gerard Piqué and his wife, Colombia’s pop star Shakira. A number of guests flew into Rosario on private jets.
Argentina’s Clarín newspaper has variously called the wedding “the wedding of the year” and “the wedding of the century”.
Roccuzzo, 29, was widely expected to wear a dress by Rosa Clara, a Barcelona-based designer who has dressed actress Eva Longoria and Spain’s Queen Letizia.
Messi invited the Barcelona squad, including Neymar, Luis Suárez and Gerard Piqué, who arrived in Rosario in a private jet with his wife, Colombian pop-star Shakira.
Teammates from Argentina’s national team, including Sergio Agüero, were also present.
Clarín reported that Messi did not invite any of his recent coaches, including Pep Guardiola, who is now at Manchester City.
Argentina’s other big football legend, Diego Maradona, was also omitted from the list, according to the local press.
Since moving to Spain, Messi has won a record-breaking five Fifa Ballon d’Or awards.
BBC Sports