Messi jokes about reporter rumours after Argentina win – As wife Antonela tells Siri Martinez to ‘Ignore the nonsense’

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Lionel Messi has broken his silence on months of speculation linking him to Argentine reporter Sofi Martinez – and he did it with a smile.

Following Argentina’s dramatic 3-2 extra-time victory over Cape Verde at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium on Friday, which secured the defending champions’ place in the World Cup Round of 16, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner made a beeline for Martinez in the mixed zone.

Greeting the Telefe journalist with a hug and kiss on the cheek, Messi delivered a lighthearted jab at the online rumour mill that has plagued both for years.

“If I look at you, they’ll say why did you look, and if I greet you, they’ll say why did you greet her,” the 39-year-old joked.

The remark referenced speculation that first erupted during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when Martinez delivered an emotional post-match monologue telling Messi that “no tournament result could diminish the impact he had on the Argentine public”. The way the captain looked at her during that interview quickly became the centre of social media gossip.

More recently, Argentine entertainment media had fuelled fresh claims that Messi’s wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, had imposed a “ban” on players speaking to Martinez. Some outlets even labelled Martinez “the most hated journalist of the World Cup”.

‘They’re All Lies’

Martinez, 33, immediately responded to Messi’s intervention with a firm denial. “These are all lies,” she told the assembled press. “That greeting has to do with noises that sometimes get generated during the week and make no sense whatsoever. He didn’t have to greet me to clarify anything, and yet he did it to make it clear there’s no problem”.

She later added: “Sometimes I prefer not to say anything because I know that by working, you show everything is fine and that nothing they say exists”.

Antonela’s Private Message

The public denial came after Martinez revealed that Roccuzzo had personally reached out to her amid the media storm.

The 38-year-old mother of three sent Martinez a direct message offering support and dismissing the jealousy rumours.

“I spoke with Anto and she told me not to worry about that absurd noise they had created,” Martinez recounted on the radio programme Agarrate Catalina. “It’s part of the things we have to overcome as a society when a woman journalist is seen talking to a man”.

Roccuzzo’s message was direct: “Sofi, don’t worry, ignore the nonsense”.

Martinez described Messi’s wife as “a total legend” and said she “admires her deeply”.

A Broader Conversation

Martinez also used the opportunity to reflect on the challenges women still face in sports journalism. “For women, there’s still a lot of work to be done; the path isn’t smoothed out,” she said, adding that she tries to avoid Twitter “so I don’t lose focus on things that don’t interest me”.

The rumours, she noted, emerged entirely because of her gender – pointing out that male reporters would never face the same scrutiny.

As for Messi, he quickly pivoted back to football, praising Cape Verde’s performance and acknowledging Argentina must improve despite progressing. “We knew it was going to be a very tough game,” he said. “It’s no coincidence that this team hadn’t lost to Spain or Uruguay”.

With Argentina now set to face Egypt in the Round of 16, the World Cup campaign continues – but Messi has made one thing clear: there’s no controversy here, just a captain greeting a journalist.