"Made me feel ridiculous to have to clarify" - Argentine sports presenter speaks up on swirling rumors of an affair with Lionel Messi

Argentine sports presenter Sofi Martinez has rubbished rumors suggesting an affair with football icon Lionel Messi. Martinez has made a name for herself in recent years, having covered the Argentina national football team and other global sporting events such as the Olympics and Formula One.

The journalist has had the privilege to interview a number of Argentina legends, including Lionel Messi. Martinez made the headlines for her emotional interview with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner during Argentina’s triumph in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Although Messi is happily married to his childhood friend Antonela Roccuzzo, with whom he shares three sons, speculations are rife that Sofi Martinez could be in a romantic relationship with the superstar.

Netizens have often pointed out the way Messi stares at Martinez whenever she interviews him and speculated that the Inter Miami man might be in love with the journalist.

During her recent appearance on PH: Podemos Hablar on the Argentine channel Telefe, Martinez shut down rumors of an affair with Lionel Messi and opened up about the pain they caused her and her family.

She said (via Daily Mail):

"A lot of the time when your exposure increases, it brings things that aren't so good and my family suffers a lot. This year, people began to talk more and more about, 'What's up with the way he looks at you,' things like this, and I was caught in the middle of something that made me feel ridiculous to have to clarify."

Martinez also claimed that speculations of a romantic relationship between her and Lionel Messi are rife due to her gender. She told the audience that if PH: Podemos Hablar host Andy Kusnetzoff engaged with Messi in a similar manner, the narrative would have been different because he is a man.

"I don’t know where it comes from" – When Sofi Martinez responded to rumors that Antonela Roccuzzo was angry at her because of her alleged relationship with Lionel Messi

Sofi Martinez has interviewed Lionel Messi on countless occasions since 2022. At one point, there were rumors that Messi’s wife Antonela Roccuzzo was jealous of Martinez’s working relationship with her husband.

In 2023, Martinez addressed the rumors during an interview with Argentine outlet Clarín. The journalist said:

"No, zero, zero, I don't know where it comes from, honestly. On the contrary, look, I once went out with Antonela, I admire her a lot because of how she handles the madness around her, because of the family they have, which I love..."

"And it really is admirable to see how they get along, how they show their daily life without any great eccentricities, so the best in the world with Antonela," she added.

Messi tied the knot with his childhood friend Antonela Roccuzzo on June 30, 2017.