Lionel Messi and his wife, Antonela, have known eachother for some time having grown up together in Argentina.

They tied the knot in 2017 and have three kids: Thiago, Mateo and Ciro.

"The truth is that (I admire) everything [about Antonela]," Messi said in an interview with Marca in 2019, per the Daily Express.

"She has many good qualities: how she gets by on a daily basis; her personality; she is always in a good mood; and she always faces up to problems in an admirable way.

"She is a very intelligent person who is great in all aspects of life.

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Antonela means everything to Lionel and he showed that in a viral moment from the 2021 Ballon d'Or ceremony.

The Messi family were taking pictures ahead of the gala in Paris.

One of the directors appeared to tell Antonela to step aside. It appears his intention was for Lionel to pose for pictures with just his children and without his wife.

Antonela agreed to do so and she began to walk to the side and out of camera shot.

But Lionel was not having any of and called his wife back so they could continue to have their picture taken as a family.

Relive the moment below...

The video went viral with many commending Messi for his actions. View some of the reaction below…

Messi has won a record seven Ballon d'Or trophies but will very likely not be in attendance at the 2022 Gala.

The Argentine struggled in his first year at PSG and has failed to make the 30-strong shortlist - the first time he has not been nominated for the award since 2005.

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 23: Lionel Messi and wife Antonella Roccuzzo arrive for The Best FIFA Football Awards - Green Carpet Arrivals on October 23, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

“Inevitably, Lionel Messi, with his 15 appearances in a row since 2006, his seven Ballon d'Or victories, his title holder status, weighs very heavily when it comes to the final choice,” France Football’s deputy editor-in-chief Emmanuel Bojan explained, per Eurosport.

“The Argentinian was part of the discussions to integrate the 30, but the new criteria for the Ballon d'Or were unfavourable to him: disappearance of the criterion of a player's entire career, and new periodicity, modelled on a season of football and no longer over a calendar year, which does not make it possible to integrate the Copa America of July 11, 2021.

"And then, it must be admitted that his first season in Paris was very disappointing both in terms of the visual impression and the statistics."