Lionel Messi Weds Childhood Sweetheart In Exclusive Event

Argentine and Barcelona FC football star, Lionel Messi, walked down the aisle with his childhood girlfriend, 29-year-old Antonela Roccuzzo on Friday.

Messi married his sweetheart in his hometown at a luxury hotel in the city of Rosario in an exclusive event that was not open to the public with a private security firm contracted to keep gate crashers at a distance.

Messi, 30, met Roccuzzo, the cousin of his best friend, Lucas Scaglia, as a five-year-old before he moved to Spain at age 13.

About 50 football stars and celebrities were among the 260 guests that attended the wedding with hundreds of police deployed for the event.

Barcelona strikers Luis Suárez, Neymar, Gerard Piqué and his wife, Colombia's pop star Shakira were among the guests at the wedding while Sergio Agüero and Samuel Eto'o were also present.

Messi did not invite any of his recent coaches, including Pep Guardiola, who is now at Manchester City, and Argentina's football legend, Diego Maradona.

About 150 journalists received accreditation to enter a special press area, but were not given full access to the venue.