Stars gather for Messi’s wedding in Rosario

Rosario, June 30 

Football stars gathered in Argentina for Latin America's celebrity wedding bash of the decade as Lionel Messi prepared to marry his childhood sweetheart Antonella Roccuzzo today. 

Pop star Shakira and her husband Gerard Pique, were expected among the 260 guests. They will join old friends of the couple and footballers, including Neymar and Luis Suarez, in Messi's northern hometown, Rosario. 

Brunette bride Roccuzzo, 29, will wear a dress by Rosa Clara — a Spanish designer who has dressed actress Eva Longoria and Spain's Queen Letizia. The guests will pack into the Hotel City-Center Casino. Messi, 30, has asked chefs to cook “locro” stew and “empanada” pasties for the feast. The star dish is a typical Argentine beef roast including chitterlings, gizzards and kidneys. — AFP