A new study has revealed unexpected facts about the family origins of Lionel Messi, captain of the Argentine national team. The Italian researcher found out that one of the ancestors of the football star was born in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo before the family moved to Argentina, and during that trip their surname was also changed. We learn about this from the website armsport.am.
According to the Brazilian "Globo" periodical, the Italian genealogy specialist Fiorenzo Santini spent years compiling the family tree of the Argentinian captain. His interest in the origin of the surname "Messi" arose in the early days of the football player's performances in "Barcelona".
Research has shown that Messi's paternal great-grandfather, Angelo Messi, left the Italian city of Recanati with his wife for Rosario, Argentina in 1893. However, the story of the mother's side is more remarkable. His great-grandfather Ranieri Cocchiettini, born in the Italian region of San Severino Marche, emigrated to Brazil with his wife Rosa Riquezza, arriving at the port of Santos on September 20, 1899, on the ship "Washington".
Historical documents testify that the family name and surname were changed in Brazil, which was due to the complications of registering foreign names at that time. Ranieri became "Ramiero Conchietini", a typical change for immigrants of the period.
Settling in the state of São Paulo, the great-grandfather worked on one of the farms in the Rincao region, after which he moved to the city of Ribeiro Preto. It was there that two of the family's children were born, including Ardirigo, in 1904.
About a year after Ardirigo's birth, the family left Brazil and went to Argentina, settling near Rosario. A new phase has begun there. Later, Messi's grandfather, Antonio Cocchiettini, was born, then his mother, Celia Maria Cocchiettini, and Lionel Andres Messi Cocchiettini was born on June 24, 1987. Santini clarified that during his research conducted between 2019 and 2022, he noticed that there is no registration of the last name "Coccettini" in Italy. Through documents and relatives of Messi's mother, he revealed that the distortion of the surname took place during the years of living in Brazil.
Thanks to these findings, in 2022 Messi was awarded the title of "honorary citizen" of the Italian city of San Severino Marche in recognition of his family roots.
According to the study, there is no record of any of Messi's relatives remaining in Ribeirao Preto after moving to Argentina in 1905.
The only symbolic connection that today connects the Argentine star with that city is the street named "Martinico Prado" in the state of São Paulo. it bears the name of the farmer who once hosted Messi's ancestors before their eventual migration to Argentina.
