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According to Flamuri in an interview to Euronews Albania, Messi’s paternal great-grandfather, Angelo Messi, belonged to the Meksi family, which he says originated from Gjirokastër in southern Albania. He claims that the family later became part of the Arbëresh communities in Italy before emigrating to Argentina in 1883.
In a previous interview with the program “Good Morning Albanians” on Euronews Albania, Flamuri said that evidence of Arbëresh roots also exists on Messi’s maternal side, referring to church documents that he claims were recently made public by an Italo-Albanian priest.
The historian said he had previously discussed this theory, citing the 2013 biography of Lionel Messi by author Guillem Balagué, which mentions the footballer’s family links to Italian communities with possible Arbëresh connections.
Flamuri also referred to historical migration patterns of Arbëresh populations, particularly after the death of Albanian national hero Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu in the 15th century. Many Albanian-speaking communities settled in southern Italy during that period, and some families later migrated from Italy to countries in Latin America.
However, the claim that Lionel Messi has Arbëresh ancestry has not been officially confirmed by Messi himself, his family, or recognized official biographies. Publicly available genealogical information generally identifies Messi’s background as primarily Italian, with his ancestors originating from regions of Italy before migrating to Argentina.
The question of Messi’s possible Arbëresh heritage remains a matter of historical debate rather than an established fact.