Messi to wed his sweetheart

– Football and showbiz stars will gather in northern Argentina tomorrow for Latin America’s celebrity wedding bash of the decade, when Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi marries his childhood sweetheart, Antonella Roccuzzo, pictured.

Pop star Shakira and her husband, Messi’s teammate, Gerard Pique, are expected among the 260 guests. They will join old friends of the couple and footballers such as Luis Suarez and Neymar.

Brunette bride Roccuzzo, 29, will wear a dress by Spanish designer Rosa Clara, which has been flown over from Barcelona.

The designer has dressed stars such as actresses Eva Longoria and Sofia Vergara, as well as Spain’s Queen Letizia.

The guests will pack into the Hotel City-Centre Casino, next to a crime-ridden slum.

The civil wedding ceremony and party will all take place inside the venue, and the guests will be lodged there too.

Messi, 30, has reportedly asked chefs to cook local delicacies such as “locro” stew for the feast.

The star dish is a typical Argentine beef roast including chitterlings, gizzards and kidneys.

Uruguayan pop bands Rombai and Marama plus singer Karina, wife of Argentina footballer Sergio Aguero, will perform at the dance.

It is not known whether the guests will also get a song from Shakira, the Colombian diva famous for Whenever, Wherever.

Security will be handled by a private team of Israeli specialists used by Messi for all his excursions. Some 155 journalists have been accredited to cover the bash but have been warned they will have no access to guests. – AFP