Does Messi's football genius really have to do something with Italy? Answered

"My Italian friend seriously thinks Messi is an Italian player," wrote Barca fan, kigmaster, on Reddit. "According to him, since Messi has primarily Italian ancestry, his talent can be credited to Italian genes."

As crazy as it looks like, could it be true? Let's look into the matter a bit deeper.

First of all, Messi really has Italian genes. His father, Jorge Messi, has Italian and Spanish roots, some of his ancestors came to Argentina from the north-central part of Italy. As for Messi's mother, her name, Celia Cuccittini, speaks for itself. And yes, he has primarily Italian ancestry. So Messi really has blood ties with Italy.

However, it's the environment that plays a major role in footballers' careers. As a footballer, Messi was raised and forged in La Liga, particularly at Barcelona - nothing to do with Italy.

Besides, Messi's prime years were the time when Italian football began its decline. It's probably correct to say that with his Italian roots, Argentinean origin, and Barcelona background, Lionel Messi plays in a league of his own.

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