Gerard Pique with Lionel Messi
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has not been invited to Lionel Messi’s wedding after a personal problem between Shakira and the Argentine’s wife-to-be, according to Spanish newspaper El Pais.
The issue between the pair reportedly stems from a problem Messi’s fiancee, Antonella Roccuzzo, has with how Pique began his relationship with pop star Shakira.
Roccuzzo was close friends with the Spaniard’s former girlfriend Nuria Tomas and was unhappy with how the couple ended the relationship.
The Spanish defender met the singer when he was still in a relationship with Tomas, when he appeared in her music video Waka Waka, the official song of the 2010 World Cup.
He told TV3 in October: ‘I met Shakira in Madrid, when we were preparing for the 2010 World Cup, and after appearing in the Waka Waka video.
‘It all started when we were together in South Africa and I wrote to her. She was already there because she sang in the opening ceremony and I asked her what the weather was like.
‘It is the typical stupid question, and the normal answer is to tell me to bring a jacket.’
‘But she started telling me what the weather was like in every single moment and it got to the point where I told her we would have to get to the World Cup final to see her again – she was singing at the final.’
Messi’s wife-to-be kept a close relationship with Tomas which has caused friction between her and Shakira, which has resulted in Pique missing out on his team-mate’s wedding.
But it appears the issue has not affected the Barca stars on or off the pitch. The pair will line-up together as Luis Enrique’s side take on Valencia at the Nou Camp on Sunday night.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner does not have a date confirmed for his wedding with Roccuzzo, but it is rumoured it will be in the middle of June.
Messi will be hoping for a double celebration as his side have kept their hopes alive in the Champions League following their heroics against Paris Saint-Germain.