Overview
- After Argentina's 3-2 extra-time win over Cape Verde on Saturday, Lionel Messi greeted Telefe reporter Sofi Martinez in the mixed zone with a kiss and brief hug while saying the press questions about them were misplaced, and Martinez replied that the stories were lies.
- Video of the encounter quickly went viral and journalists say Messi’s offhand remark publicly undercut years of gossip linking him and Martinez.
- The speculation began with a 2022 World Cup exchange in which Martinez praised Messi, and repeated professional meetings at events like the Ballon d’Or, Copa America and a 2023 China tour have kept the names connected.
- Tabloid reports that Messi’s wife Antonela Roccuzzo had imposed an interview ban or was enraged are contradicted by Martinez’s account that Antonela privately messaged her to ignore the nonsense.
- There is still no independent evidence of an affair; reporters note that frequent professional proximity between a star player and a national TV reporter helps explain why tabloids repeatedly amplified the story.