Lionel Messi is not an Italian, he is from Rosario, Santé Fe , Argentina. He was born in the city of Rosario where he grew up alongside his siblings and parents. The reason why Messi is being linked to Italy is due to the fact that his father, Jorge Messi and mother, Celia María Cuccittini are both of Italian descent. Messi’s father is also of Spanish descent while his mother is of Italian descent alone.
It is not only Lionel Messi that is of Italian descent but a handful of Argentina’s national team players – past and present also have links to Italy. Some have Argentine names but Italian surnames. For instance, Angel di Maria, Nicolas Tagliafico, Franco Armani, and Rodrigo De Paul among others. Current coach of Chelsea football club, Mauricio Pochettino also bears an Italian-sounding name. His great-grandfather relocated to South America from the Piedmont region in north-western Italy and established residence in the intriguingly named town of Murphy. This town was established by an immigrant from Ireland during the 19th century.
Is Lionel Messi Italian?
Lionel Messi is not a full-fleshed Italian but he can claim to be one through his great-grandparent who emigrated from there. WithiIt will interest you to know that in the current roster of the Argentinian World Cup team, Nicolás Tagliafico, the left-back, also boasts Italian lineage. His paternal grandparents hailed from Genoa, while his maternal grandparents originated from Calabria, the southern Italian region often referred to as the “toe.” Another player, Franco Armani, the goalkeeper, also has Italian roots.
These ancestral connections shouldn’t be surprising considering that between 1880 and 1910, Argentina (alongside neighbouring Uruguay) experienced a substantial influx of Italian immigrants. This substantial wave of migration continued until 1940. Presently, over 60% of Argentinians possess some degree of Italian heritage.
So, it is not out of place if anyone raises the question: “Is Lionel Messi Italian?”
Italian ancestry has played a significant role not only in the current Argentine national team but also among past legends. Remarkable individuals with Italian heritage include Diego Maradona, Alfredo Di Stefano, Daniel Passarella, Gabriel Batistuta, Nestor Rossi, Oscar Ruggeri, Silvio Marzolini, Alberto Tarantini, Roberto Perfumo, and Javier Zanetti.
Link between Italy and Argentina
The name of the Spanish-speaking nation, Argentina, isn’t inherently a Spanish word. Quite fittingly, considering figures like Messi and Maradona, it is derived from Italian. “Argentino” serves as an adjective signifying “silver” or “made of silver,” and “Argentina” is the grammatically feminine variant of this term.
The majority of Italian migrants to Argentina came from rural areas and not all were literate. Furthermore, as was customary in Italy at that time, many of them didn’t speak what is typically identified as Italian. Instead, they communicated in various regional languages like Sicilian, Sardinian, Piedmontese, Lombard, Venetian, and Neapolitan.
The presence of numerous individuals who didn’t speak Spanish had intriguing linguistic ramifications for Argentina. Spanish and Italian are closely related languages, and some Spanish speakers even find Italian easier to comprehend than Portuguese. Consequently, Italian peasants who arrived in cities like Buenos Aires could manage basic conversations with Argentinians about everyday subjects through goodwill and informal communication.
After their arrival, Italians would generally adapt their speech to align with Argentinian Spanish. This transition would continue until their speech was quite comprehensible to the Spanish-speaking local community. For instance, they might switch from saying “cane” for ‘dog’ to “perro,” but wouldn’t change “amico” (Italian for ‘friend’) to “amigo” (Spanish for ‘friend’) because the Spanish speakers would already understand their intention.
This linguistic blend, known as Cocoliche, became common in Buenos Aires. However, as immigration from Italy dwindled during World War II and no fresh wave of Italian-speaking immigrants arrived, Cocoliche gradually faded away by approximately 1970.
Even though Messi and Pochettino might not be familiar with Cocoliche, it’s quite feasible that their grandparents were acquainted with it.
Italian Immigrants in Argentina
During the 1870s and 1880s, Argentina emerged as the primary selection for Italian migrants. This pattern continued with the same level of enthusiasm for Brazil until the conclusion of the century. However, the United States assumed prominence as the favored destination until the period following World War I, when Argentina regained its status as the preferred choice.
Given that a majority of Italian emigrants were motivated by economic reasons, their decision on where to settle was significantly influenced by employment prospects. Argentina’s initial appeal was rooted in its geographic advantages: agricultural laborers could find work there and earn supplementary income during the winter months in the Northern Hemisphere. As Argentina’
s economy prospered—ranking among the world’s most affluent nations per capita at the beginning of the 20th century due to the demand for its agricultural products—opportunities expanded to encompass construction, particularly in the construction of buildings and railroads. Domingo Sarmiento, who presided over Argentina from 1868 to 1874, actively encouraged immigration, albeit with a preference for Northern Europeans, and even made attempts to financially assist their migration.
In 1890, Argentina encountered a significant economic setback known as the Baring crisis, which also affected its neighboring nations and the United States. Concurrently, Brazilian coffee growers were intensifying their efforts to attract low-cost labor. The state of São Paulo initiated incentives, including support for travel and lodging for recent arrivals. Additionally, during the 1880s, coffee plantation owners launched vigorous campaigns promoting Brazil as a desirable destination. Consequently, Brazil started attracting a considerable share of Italian emigrants. In fact, in terms of percentage, Italians eventually constituted a larger segment of the Brazilian population than they did in Argentina.
