Glamorous sports presenter breaks silence on Lionel Messi affair rumours after ‘flirty look’ between pair went viral
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AN Argentine sports reporter has shutdown suggestion that she has had an affair with Lionel Messi. Journalist Sofi Martinez has told of the pain that "ridiculous" rumours have caused her and her family. Martinez is a top presenter and reporter in Argentina where she has gained attention for her work with ESPN and TV Publica.
![[Argentine journalist Sofi Martinez has shut down rumours of an affair with Lionel Messi]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/www-instagram-com-sofimmartinez-hl-962125063.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
She has worked on the Olympics, Formula One and Champions League amongst other top sporting events. And her time covering the Argentina national team has meant she has had the opportunity to interview Lionel Messi on multiple occasions. However, it's those strictly professional meetings that have sparked rumours of a romance despite Messi's seven-year marriage to his childhood sweetheart Antonela Roccuzzo, 36.
![[Martinez has been accused of an affair with the superstar after multiple interviews between the pair]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/www-instagram-com-sofimmartinez-hl-962125051.jpg?strip=all&w=853)
Swirling fan theories clung on to "flirtatious glances" between the pair to start rumours that Martinez and Messi had more than a professional relationship. She said: "A lot of the time when your exposure increases, it brings things that aren't so good and my family suffers a lot.
![[Martinez is a top journalist in Argentina]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/www-instagram-com-sofimmartinez-hl-962128318.jpg?strip=all&w=768)
"This year, people began to talk more and more about, "What's up with the way he looks at you," things like this, and I was caught in the middle of something that made me feel ridiculous to have to clarify.". Martinez went on to suggest that it is her gender that leaves fans asking questions of her interactions with Messi, explaining that it wouldn't happen if a male reporter was asking questions of the Inter Miami star.
![[The reporter works for ESPN and Argentine outlet TV Publica]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/www-instagram-com-sofimmartinez-hl-962128316.jpg?strip=all&w=932)
