According to surprising genealogical research, football icon Lionel Messi carries hidden Brazilian roots that trace back more than a century through his maternal lineage.
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Subscribe Sekarang →Based on findings by Italian banker and researcher Fiorenzo Santini, the ancestry of the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner extends far beyond his renowned Argentine heritage into both Italy and Brazil.
Santini spent years tracing the family tree of the legendary player, uncovering that Messi shares a fascinating historical connection with Brazil through his mother's side of the family.
Historical records show that an ancestor named Raniero Coccetini traveled by boat with his family to Sao Paulo in 1899, where the family surname eventually transformed phonetically into Cuccitini.
Living in the land of samba before eventually moving to Argentina in 1905, the family welcomed a child named Arderigo in Ribeirao Preto in 1904, who stands today as the great-grandfather of the Argentine superstar.
Due to birthright citizenship laws, Arderigo automatically acquired Brazilian nationality alongside his parents, permanently cementing a surprising historical link between the iconic player and Brazil.