The image of football players at wild parties with crazy girls is reinforced every generation. What few of us might know, however, is that this image does not fit every star player. Off the field, the nicest footballers in the world maintain lasting romances with girlfriends and wives. They form couples, even in adolescence, when they were still in youth teams. The most popular player today, Lionel Messi met his wife Antonella Roccuzzo when he was just a promising young boy from the lowland areas of Argentina.
Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi and Antonella Rocuzzo through the years. Photo: @bestoffootball | Instagram
As a love story, Lionel Messi quickly fell in love with Antonella Rocuzzo. She was the cousin of a friend and he saw her for the first time when they were playing PlayStation. They were playing when the girl who lived upstairs came to ask if they needed something. While Messi might not have know that girl would be his future lovely wife, he knew he wanted to stay with her forever.
It was not the first time that Messi was maddened by a woman. In a tournament outside of Rosario, Argentina, he froze when he saw an older girl. For two days, he never tired of looking at her. But as she was 17, obviously he never experienced anything other than looks.
Despite his small physical stature, the life of Messi in Rosario was like any other boy’s. "We were very shy with the girls," said Diego, one of his best friends in the neighborhood. When they started the dances of the neighborhood and the school, they changed the way they dressed, but their attitude was still the same.
Kaka
Photo: @MLS | Twitter
Meanwhile, in Brazil, the example is given by the darling of all girls, Kaka. When he was 19 years old, the current Orlando City player asked Caroline Celico, 15 years old girl that time, to a date.
To maintain a good relationship and because he lived in Milan and she in São Paulo, they made a pact of fidelity. In combination, they could go out with friends, but at midnight they would be at home and call each other. Wasting no time, three years later, they went up to the altar.
In their second year of marriage, the couple had their first child, Luca. And in 2011, the family grew with the arrival of Isabella.
Unfortunately last year they announced a divorce after several rumours of crisis and reconciliation efforts.
Curious about which other players were fortunate enough to find a great love? Below are the footballers who do not fit in with the image of the partying playboy.
David Beckham
Photo: @ESPNFC | Twitter
David Beckham met his wife Victoria (née Adams), the former Spice Girl, in 1997 during a benefit game. Victoria said she didn’t know who David Beckham was at the time, even though he was already living a life of stardom in the world of soccer. Their love story began with some meetings and culminated in 1999 with marriage. Their ceremony cost 650,000 euros and shortly after, the two invested 2 million to buy the mansion they would call home. Even after rumors of adultery, the most famous involving David’s personal assistant, they remain together today and are the parents of four children, Harper, Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz.
Lukas Podolski
Photo: @GalaTayfa1905 | Twitter
Lukas Podolski, current World Champion with Germany, always preferred to keep his personal life out of the spotlight. Podolski met his current wife Monika when they were still teenagers and maintained the relationship, getting married with her in 2011 in a discreet ceremony for just 25 people. Recently there were rumors that they were splitting up, this has not been confirmed, and we hope that is not true.
Lucas Piazon
Lucas Piazon and a fan. Photo: @nathandavies_93 | Twitter
Another player who does not fit the profile of a famous womanizer is the 22-year-old Lucas Piazon. Even having won the hearts of many female fans, he maintains a low profile life. He has dated the student Maria Montoro since 2012. Off the field, the player who has already played in Spain, Holland, Germany and England, says he prefers to go to restaurants, cinemas and family events. He never gets involved in any kind of scandals.
Luis Fabiano
Photo: @CarlosPort | Twitter
Luis Fabiano, who currently plays for the chinese club Tianjin Quanjian FC and has played for Europeans clubs such as Porto FC and Sevilla in the past, is a perfect example of a well behaved player. He has been married to Juliana Paradela for 11 years and during his whole tragectory in soccer, never has any negative commentary about his personal life been heard.
Looking at the behavior of these players we can say that fame is not always accompanied by a "crazy life", so we hope for more good examples like these guys to come.
