Study reveals Lionel Messi's ancestral link to Brazil's Sao Paulo

A genealogical study by Italian researcher Fiorenzo Santini found that Lionel Messi's maternal great-grandfather was born in Brazil. Messi's great-great-grandfather Ranieri Cocchietini reached Santos from Italy in 1899 and settled in Sao Paulo state, where his son Ardirigo was born at Ribeirao Preto in 1904. Brazilian clerks recorded him as Federico Cuccittini, the surname Messi carries today.