Lionel Messi's maternal family lived in Brazil before settling in Argentina, and it was in Ribeirão Preto (São Paulo state) that the original surname Coccittini became Cuccittini. This discovery was made by an Italian researcher. Fiorenzo Santini, which reconstructed the origins of the star player and coach Lionel Scaloni in the Marche region.
O jornal Maceratesi Chronicles published the survey on the eve of the final of World Cup match between Spain and Argentina, this Sunday (19). Santini, a journalist from Camerano, has been researching Marchigiana emigration to South America for decades.
The surname that changed in Brazil
On his father's side, the story begins in 1893, when Angelo Messi, Leo's great-great-grandfather, left Valle Cantalupo, now Montefiore di Recanati, for Rosario. According to Santini, Angelo's father convinced him to emigrate because in Argentina "they ate meat".
The maternal branch intrigued the researcher for years, since the surname Cuccittini practically doesn't exist in Italy. The answer came from an aunt in the family: "We came from San Severino Marce," without the "h" of Marche.
From there, Santini discovered that the original spelling was Coccittini and that the change occurred during the family's stay in Ribeirão Preto, a period in which many Italian surnames were changed in Brazil. The research earned Messi honorary citizenship of San Severino.
In 2015, the player's father, Jorge Messi, asked Santini for help in extending Italian citizenship to his wife and children. During the conversation, the researcher discovered that the family was already registered in the civil registry of Recanati without knowing it.
Scaloni and the “second region” of Argentina
The coach Lionel Scaloni It has Marchigiana roots on both sides. In addition to great-grandparents from Magliano di Tenna, in Fermano, the family tree includes ancestors from Montegiorgio, Monte San Pietrangeli, Rotella and Montegranaro.
In Pujato, an Argentinian town of 3.600 inhabitants where Scaloni was born, 95 residents bear surnames of Marchigiana origin, and the Magliano di Tenna municipality is working towards a sister-city agreement.
The Marche region has approximately 1,5 million inhabitants, the same estimated number of Argentinians originating from the region. Regarding a supposed link between striker Lautaro Martínez and the Marche region, Santini urges caution: "At the moment, there are no confirmations." (With information from Cronache Maceratesi)
