Overview
- The findings published Saturday, July 25, 2026, stem from a three-year investigation by Italian historian Fiorenzo Santini that traces part of Messi’s maternal family to Ribeirão Preto in São Paulo.
- Santini reports the family lived in Brazil around the turn of the 20th century, moved to Rosario about 1905, and altered a surname from Coccettini to Cuccittini during that migration.
- Under Brazilian law, descent from a Brazilian-born ancestor can create a route to citizenship but that route requires original civil records and formal approval by Brazilian authorities to become valid.
- The research arrives after Messi’s run to the 2026 World Cup final for Argentina and does not show that Messi ever applied for or received Brazilian nationality.
- The story highlights long-standing eligibility questions about Messi, who was also eligible for Italy and Spain, and signals that any change would depend on documentary proof and official steps rather than the genealogy report alone.