Glamorous sports presenter breaks silence on Lionel Messi affair rumours after ‘flirty look’ between pair went viral

An Argentinian sports reporter has suggested she had an affair with Lionel Messi.

Journalist Sofi Martinez has opened up about the pain 'ridiculous' rumors have caused her and her family.

Martinez is a top anchor and reporter in Argentina, where she has gained attention for her work at ESPN and TV Publica.

She has worked on the Olympic Games, Formula 1 and the Champions League, among others.

And her time as a reporter for the Argentina national team has allowed her to interview Lionel Messi several times.

However, it is those strictly professional meetings that have fueled rumors of a romance, despite Messi's seven-year marriage to his childhood sweetheart Antonela Roccuzzo, 36.

Swirling fan theories latched onto 'flirty looks' between the pair and sparked rumors that Martinez and Messi had more than a professional relationship.

But the reporter debunked these claims in an interview on 'PH: Podemos Hablar' on Argentinian channel Telefe.

She said: 'As your exposure increases it often brings things that are not so good and my family suffers a lot.

“This year people started talking more and more about, 'What's going on with the way he's looking at you,' this kind of thing, and I was in the middle of something that made me feel ridiculous for having to clarify.”

Martinez further suggested that it is her gender that has fans asking questions about her interactions with Messi, explaining that this would not happen if a male reporter asked questions of the Inter Miami star.

Messi, 37, and wife Antonela have not commented on the rumours.

The happy couple have been married since 2017 and now have three sons together: Thiago, 12, Mateo, nine, and Ciro, six.

It is believed that the pair started dating in 2007, having been good friends since they first met as children.

Rumors of an alleged affair with Martinez go back years with close friend and wife of Cesc Fabregas, Daniella Semaan, dismissing initial reports from Brazilian outlet Direto Do Miolo in 2023.

Semaan said: “What publication is this that has no meaning… and nothing makes sense.”