sport news Photo shows Lionel Messi with wife-to-be when he was just 10 years old

Childhood sweethearts Lionel Messi and his wife Antonela Rocuzzo smile for the camera during a day out at the beach in this never-seen-before photo taken when the Barcelona star was just 10.

Argentinian newspaper La Capital uncovered the touching picture, showing the footballer and the stunning mum of their three sons as children nearly two decades before they became man and wife, enjoying themselves in the Atlantic holiday resort of Punta Mogotes.

Messi was playing in a youth football tournament in the nearby city of Balcarce.

Lionel Messi poses with wife-to-be Antonela Rocuzzo on a beach in Argentina back in 1998

Lionel Messi poses with wife-to-be Antonela Rocuzzo on a beach in Argentina back in 1998

Messi and Antonela now have three children - Thiago, six, Mateo, three, and Ciro, one

Messi and Antonela now have three children - Thiago, six, Mateo, three, and Ciro, one

Antonela, who was about to turn 10 and was already a close friend of the footballer, had travelled to the area with her parents to see her cousin Lucas Scaglia, who was one of Messi's teammates.

The photo, showing the pair with other children including Lucas and another team-mate called Matias Pecce, was taken in January 1998.

Antonela's parents were among the mums and dads who took the youngsters to Punta Mogotes during a day off from the boys' football tournament but Messi's mum and dad, Jorge and Celia, stayed in their native city of Rosario, an eight-hour drive away.

It was not clear on Monday if the footballer, who the Pope insisted was 'very good' but not God in a recent interview, has ever seen the picture.

It is going viral after the work of a La Capital journalist tracking it down and publishing it.

The paper said it had taken three years to uncover it after several members of its editorial team had set about trying to find a photo of Messi in Mar del Plata, a famous resort which most Argentinians visit at some point in their childhood.

Messi in action for Barcelona during their win against Real Sociedad on Saturday evening

Messi in action for Barcelona during their win against Real Sociedad on Saturday evening

The Argentina star poses with Antonela in a photo posted to his official Instagram account

The Argentina star poses with Antonela in a

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