Sofi Martínez is going through a moment of high public exposure. Her work as a sports journalist, her coverage of the Argentine national team, and that interview with Lionel Messi at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar have made her one of the most recognizable figures of her generation. But behind that visibility there is also a woman who has learned to live with rumors, who reflects on machismo in the world of football, and who has personal projects that go far beyond her career.
In a new interview for Protagonists in Para Ti, Sofi reunited with Priscila Crivocapich, with whom she shared years of study at Deportea, the sports journalism school. Throughout the chat, she revisited her experience at the last World Cup, spoke about the impact Messi had on her trajectory, explained how she handles the comments about her private life and referred to her history with Diego Leuco, her ex-partner, including some details she had shared in an interview with
She also spoke about her current romantic life, about the decision to freeze her eggs at 33, her desire to form a family, and the professional challenges she still wants to accomplish.
From Deportea to a Career Marked by Lionel Messi
The encounter between Sofi Martínez and Priscila Crivocapich began with a fact few knew: the two were classmates at Deportea. Between laughs, they recalled the years of study and tried to reconstruct when they had finished, which was sometime between 2012 and 2016.
The journalist remembered that at the time she worked with Guido Kaczka and was going through a period of professional changes. The passage of time, the careers they built, and the different World Cups they experienced as professionals were the starting point of a conversation that soon shifted to her present.
Sofi had just returned from her second World Cup, an experience she described as intense. Although she feels that many things have happened since her first coverage, she highlighted the gratitude she feels for having coincided professionally with one of the most glorious eras of the Argentina national team.
“It’s crazy, and I see it with a lot of gratitude, the fact of coinciding with this incredibly glorious moment of the Argentina national team,” she said.
The journalist referred to the two Copa América titles and the triumph in Qatar 2022, as well as Argentina’s recent participation in the final of the 2026 World Cup. For her, starting to cover the national team during this period was an extraordinary coincidence.
In relation to the possibility of living a golden era of football, she compared that experience with those who could enjoy Diego Maradona at his peak. “Grateful to coincide in time and space with that,” she summarized.
Although the last World Cup had its own characteristics, Sofi considers that Qatar 2022 held a special place. Having lived another World Cup allowed her to value that experience even more. “It was so magical, so many things happened, it was all so glorious how it came together. I think we enjoyed it a lot,” she recalled.
Messi’s Retirement from the National Team: “It’s a Collective Grief”
The possibility that Lionel Messi might have played his last World Cup with the national team opened another chapter of the conversation. For Sofi, the news implies a collective mourning, even for those who understand that the captain has already done everything he could for Argentine football.
“I think it’s a grief for everyone and we have to face it a little that way. And we still haven’t absorbed it. And yes, it will be hard,” she said.
The journalist believed that the gratitude toward Messi does not invalidate the sadness of the end of a chapter. After so many joys, so many unforgettable nights, and so many shared emotions, the possibility of not seeing him lead those matches in the national jersey again creates a feeling that is hard to avoid, Sofi explained.
“We’re already grateful and we can’t ask for more, but I also think the sadness is valid and it’s inevitable a little for those of us who lived football so intensely, enjoyed his football so much, and were made to cry many times wearing the Argentina shirt,” she explained.
Sofi mentioned the matches against England and France, as well as the various knockout stages that marked the recent history of the team. “All that squeezes your heart to say: ‘Well, there won’t be new nights, there will only be memories’,” she expressed.
For her, after the World Cup it was already noticeable that a communication about the end of Messi’s cycle and that of other players could arrive. However, she believes that the personal aspect ended up occupying a central place in that process and that in recent weeks, the player has shown a more human side.
“We’re used to seeing him and enjoying him as if he were extraterrestrial, like a superhero,” she noted. Seeing his pain and his more vulnerable side awakened, she said, the desire to hug him and accompany him. It also helped her gauge what he did in the last World Cup, even bearing that burden.
If she had to tell him something, Sofi has no doubt: she would thank him. “I think all words fall short,” she affirmed.
And she explained why that gratitude is also personal: “For me, personally, it marks me a lot. My career 100% is defined by him.”
The journalist said there is no place she goes where someone doesn’t mention the Messi interview she conducted in 2022 or link her professionally to that moment. Although she has different jobs, some sports-related and others not, she recognizes that experience as one of the most important events of her career.
“Probably the strongest thing that has happened to me in my entire career or my life,” she reflected.
Sofi also highlighted Messi’s generosity and the impact that interview had on her growth. From that moment, she explained, she began to experience different situations at events and tournaments, where she was often recognized and stopped to answer. Therefore, her gratitude toward the footballer is absolute.
Media Exposure and Machismo in the World of Football
The impact of that interview with Messi also caused Sofi to be exposed to rumors and versions that, at times, mixed with her professional work. During the last World Cup, she said, that situation caused frustration, especially because she was in full coverage, with long days and no rest.
It bears remembering that during the tournament, Messi surprised when he told Sofi the line “Then they say I don’t greet you, whether I look at you or not. If I look at you, why do I look at you? If I greet you, why do I greet you?” He did so to deny rumors of tension with the journalist, greeting her cordially and joking for the cameras. However, the versions about both did not cease but increased.
In this regard, Sofi was blunt in revealing that “the appearance of rumors I did not expect was especially uncomfortable”.
“I was in the middle of the World Cup, working a lot. There, in the middle of the World Cup, you work every day and many hours, you don’t have days off, more than 50 days working non-stop,” she recalled, and added that in addition to the obligation of covering the Argentine national team there was the need to follow other matches, study and withstand the pressure of not making mistakes.
Sofi acknowledged that, at times, repeatedly talking about the topic also makes her uncomfortable, because she doesn’t want it to seem that she brings it up all the time. However, she understands that it is asked and part of the experiences she went through.
In that sense, she differentiated comments about her romantic life from those that could affect her work. For example, she recounted recently going for coffee with her colleague Gastón Edul and a video of the encounter led to headlines talking about a supposed romance.
“I understand that this is part of being well-known and you go to have coffee with someone who is also well-known and that news comes out. Nothing happens, you laugh,” she said. According to her, both took the situation with humor.
What does bother her is when a false version interferes with her professional performance. “It bothers me more when it involves the professional and when someone, who is a sports journalist covering a World Cup, suddenly the invention is such that it affects your work,” she noted.
Sofi argued that machismo remains present in the sports world and that women are often observed with a different yardstick. “All I did was fulfill my role and, because of generating or headlining or that, and the constant machismo that still exists in the world of football, a lot of things that are completely false come out,” she stated.
For her, one sign of that inequality appears in the interpretation of gestures between journalists and footballers. “If a player smiles at you, it’s different from if a male journalist smiles at you, when in reality it’s the same. He can have good vibes, he can smile at you or he can laugh at a joke a journalist made. The problem is that if it’s a woman, people think there’s a double meaning. I find that unfair,” she analyzed.
The Phrase Gabriel Rolón Said Once That Still Resonates for Her
In the face of these situations, the journalist admits she doesn’t always manage to keep her distance. “I think avoiding it doesn’t come to me that easily, I try sometimes, but it doesn’t work,” she acknowledged.
Over time, she began to seek another way to endure the exposure: to accept that the comments exist and decide how she wants to face them. Sometimes talking with people who calm her and convey peace helps her unload what she feels.
Although at times she wants to respond to those who write unpleasant things, she tries not to. To curb that impulse, she recalled a phrase from the psychoanalyst Gabriel Rolón that he once said on the program where she worked: “The one who replies to a fool becomes a fool.”
Sofi tries to apply that idea when she reads comments she considers far from reality. She also said that some people in her circle “get very upset with circulating versions” and that “although their reactions come from affection, they sometimes end up adding emotional weight”.
Consequently, she tries to choose with whom to discuss these topics and, on occasion, prefers not to mention them too much. Her family also bears the exposure, especially her mother, who tends to get angry when she reads certain things.
To that scenario, the functioning of social networks adds another layer. “You spend two minutes watching one of my notes and then everything of mine appears, and once something appears, everything else does as well. It’s impossible, the phone works against you, social media too,” she explained.
Sofi Martínez spoke about her ups and downs with Diego Leuco: “I went too far”
The exposure also touches her romantic life. During the chat with Priscila, Sofi recalled an interview she did with on Hay amor, Hispa’s interview series, in which she spoke more deeply about her separation from Diego Leuco and some aspects of their relationship, in which there were several on-and-off moments.
“I went too far, I went too far, but because Nacho, I like him a lot. So, you know, it was a chat between friends,” she admitted.
However, she clarified that she does not regret the possibility of having genuine conversations. For her, interviews gain value when people allow themselves to lower their guard and speak with sincerity, rather than responding from a defensive place.
“For me there is a part where in interviews or conversations it’s good to be genuine because, basically, I also do interviews, I’m in the interviewer’s seat many times and when the conversation is sincere for me it’s much cooler,” she explained.
Sofi considers that this openness allows the exchange to take on another depth. She also thinks of those who may identify with what she shares: : “What happens to me obviously doesn’t happen only to me. I think there are lots of other people who have gone through the same thing.”
The journalist noted that romantic suffering is a shared experience and that talking about these experiences can help others feel accompanied. However, she acknowledged that her situation has a particularity: both she and Leuco are public figures and, therefore, the couple’s story can acquire a larger dimension.
It was then that a detail caught Priscila’s attention. Sofi revealed that Andy Kusnetzoff, with whom she worked on Perros de la Calle during 2025, reproached her that “she hadn’t told that on his program.”
“Andy always ribs me when he says: ‘What you told with Nacho you didn’t tell when you were on Perros’,” she recalled.
The Elizalde interview had included details of the couple’s on-and-off relationship and the crises they endured. Sofi acknowledged that, upon leaving that conversation, she decided to write to Diego to warn him that she had spoken about aspects of their history that perhaps were not publicly known.
“As soon as I left, I wrote to Diego. And I said: ‘Yes, I just left Nacho’s thing, I told some things that perhaps aren’t known, but it’s okay’,” she said.
Her intention, she explained, was for Leuco to know that she had spoken about the relationship in an honest and respectful manner, not to portray him in a bad light. “I don’t think it makes you look bad what I told, on the contrary, since I spoke about it honestly and in a nice way for both of us,” she stated.
Diego’s initial response was reassuring. He told her: “I trust you, if it’s okay with you, surely it’s fine.”
But the conversation didn’t end there. Sofi asked him to watch the interview when it aired and, once he could see it, Leuco wrote back. “He told me: ‘Some details gave me vertigo, but it was fine,’” she recalled.
The journalist explained that her ex-partner is much more reserved than she is and that, understanding him, she apologized. “It’s also hard because everyone has their own ways. There’s no right or wrong, everyone has their own,” she reflected.
Three Years Since the Separation and Two Years of On-and-Off
Speaking about the time that has passed since the breakup, Sofi located the separation in 2023, so they are close to three years since that moment. However, she clarified that during that period there were stages in which they drew closer again.
“We had two years of going back and forth, yes,” she said.
Priscila asked why she believed the relationship remained so present, even after so long. Sofi admitted that the lack of a new significant partner could be one reason, although she also said that the last encounter with Leuco had awakened something from that history.
She explained that about a year had passed since they last saw each other. When they met again, they were affectionate and had a conversation in which both shared updates about their lives. He asked her about the World Cup, aware of how important that experience had been for her.
“When we saw each other, suddenly I had things to tell him, he had things to tell me,” she recalled. After that meeting, she explained, the relationship rekindled in some sense.
Today, as she explained in the interview, she is single and without a partner. Although they cross paths more often now, she is not in a romantic relationship.
At 33, She Frozen Her Eggs and Dreams of Forming a Family
When Priscila asked how she envisioned her romantic life in the coming years, Sofi was direct: she would like to form a family.
The journalist explained that she froze her eggs this year, a decision she made with that project in mind and with the possibility of not postponing the dream of becoming a mother indefinitely. She is 33 years old and believes that science offered her an option she could take advantage of.
“It seemed like a good option, as science also provides, and it’s a good thing,” she explained.
Sofi did not hesitate to speak about her dream: “My dream is to start a family. With several children.”
The decision to freeze eggs is part of that personal projection, even though she does not currently have a partner. For her, the desire to build a family coexists with the present she is living and with the professional projects she still wants to realize.
What She Looks for in a Man and How She Experiences Dates
In another moment of the chat, Priscila asked Sofi what a man would need to have to win her over. Sofi laughed before answering, because she wasn’t sure there was an exact formula. However, as the conversation progressed, she began listing some traits she values.
First, that he be family-oriented and sociable, because she also defines herself that way. It would be hard for her to be with someone who doesn’t give importance to family ties or who has few friends.
“I’m very group-oriented, very family-oriented,” she said.
When thinking about the happiest moments of her life, she pictured an ordinary scene: “a Sunday barbecue with her family or a birthday where everyone is gathered, with her nephews running around,” she said.
Therefore, the idea of sharing those moments with a partner is important to her. She would also like the man who accompanies her to enjoy sports.
Sofi clarified that he doesn’t necessarily have to be an athlete, although she feels that someone passionate about physical activity could fall a little more in love with her. What she considers important is that he is interested in sports and can share that world with her.
“That he watches a lot of everything and that he is that way and that he accompanies me there. That I say: ‘Yes, well, Sunday is the US Open final.’ Let’s go watch it,” she explained as an example.
Between laughs, she also imagined a Sunday morning watching the Premier League while sipping mate in bed. Beyond the sports competitions, she said she is drawn to people who are passionate about something, who have projects, and who don’t feel that everything is the same.
“That he has that independence or that ambition to generate his own happiness through something, that something ignites him and that he can contagiously share that passion with me,” she explained.
Humor is also essential for her. As she kept adding characteristics, she realized the list was long, but she maintained the idea that passion, personal projects, and the ability to laugh together are fundamental aspects.
“That they look at a lot of things and that they are like that and they accompany me there. That I say: ‘Let’s go, Sunday is the final of the US Open.’ Let’s go and watch it,” she exemplified.
Among the laughs, she also imagined a Sunday morning watching the Premier League while they have mate in bed. Beyond sports competitions, she noted that she is attracted to people who are passionate about something, who have projects, and who don’t feel that everything is the same.
“That they have that independence or that ambition to build their happiness through something, that something excites them and can contagious me with that passion,” she explained.
Humor is also essential for her. While she added more traits, she realized the list was long but kept the idea that passion, personal projects, and the ability to laugh together are fundamental aspects.
¿Y cómo conoce hoy a posibles candidatos? Sofi contó que “acepta citas y que muchas veces los encuentros surgen a través de amigos en común”. También puede conocer gente por redes sociales, aunque le resulta más fácil cuando existe algún vínculo previo.
Las canchas de fútbol son otro lugar en el que puede cruzarse con alguien, ya que suele ir a ver partidos y también disfruta de salir con sus amigos.
Durante la charla apareció el recuerdo de un episodio que se había viralizado: el encuentro con un sodero cordobés. Sofi lo recordó con humor y aclaró que había sido ella quien “lo había apurado a él, más que al revés”. Sin embargo, la historia no prosperó porque él vive en Córdoba y la distancia terminó siendo una dificultad.
“Es un amor a distancia más difícil”, explicó. Aunque reconoció que algunas parejas encuentran ventajas en no verse todos los días, para ella el comienzo de una relación necesita cercanía.
En los últimos años se había cuidado bastante y había preferido reunirse en casas. Pero durante el último año decidió cambiar esa dinámica: tenía ganas de salir a comer, conocer bares y restaurantes y disfrutar de citas fuera de casa. Y empezó a hacerlo.
Su última cita había sido antes del Mundial. Durante el torneo no se permitió demasiado espacio para conocer a alguien, en parte porque estuvo con fiebre y se sintió mal de salud, pero también porque “la exigencia profesional era muy grande”.
Sofi explicó que, durante esas competencias, tiene muchas horas de aire, necesita estudiar para los partidos y acumula un cansancio intenso. Además, comparte gran parte del tiempo con sus compañeros, en una convivencia que también disfruta. Cuando tiene la posibilidad de descansar, prefiere aprovecharla.
Como contraste, mencionó a su amigo Grego Roselló, que durante el Mundial parecía tener energía para salir y hacer de todo. “Había que seguirle el tren a Grego, imposible”, bromeó.
El sueño de hacer más entrevistas a deportistas de todo el mundo
Más allá de su vida personal, Sofi tiene varios objetivos profesionales. Durante el último Mundial pudo hacer campo de juego con la Selección argentina, una experiencia que describió como un sueño.
“Es lindo, la realidad es que hacer campo de juego de la Selección argentina es un sueño. Realmente es increíble. Todavía no sé si soy consciente todavía de lo que pasó, de hacer campo de juego en un Mundial”, she stated.
Aunque reconoce que se trata de una experiencia extraordinaria, contó que de pequeña ni siquiera se atrevía a imaginar algo así. Los mundiales la emocionaban desde muy joven: recordaba que, “cuando tenía alrededor de diez años, pedía la camiseta de la Selección argentina para Navidad, se ponía nerviosa antes de los partidos y hasta podía tener fiebre por la ansiedad”.
“Lloraba cuando Argentina perdía, o sea, me ponía realmente triste”, recordó.
Por eso, ver hoy a jóvenes que se angustian por la posibilidad de no volver a ver a Messi con la camiseta argentina le genera mucha empatía. “Me parte el alma cómo lo viven y no es para menos”, dijo. Y agregó que, aunque tiene 33 años, a ella también la emociona.
En el plano laboral, Sofi se muestra abierta a seguir explorando formatos diferentes. Aunque el deporte es su ancla y contar las historias que hay detrás de los atletas es su gran pasión, disfruta cuando aparecen oportunidades para trabajar en otros ámbitos. Su paso por programas como MasterChef y La Voz le permitió experimentar con propuestas alejadas del periodismo deportivo.
“Me re animo a hacer cosas por fuera del deporte. Si bien mi ancla siempre va a ser el deporte, que me maravilla contar las historias alrededor del deporte, es para mí mi pasión, hacer cosas por fuera me recopa”, she explained.
Uno de sus grandes sueños es entrevistar a deportistas de distintas partes del mundo y profundizar en aspectos que van más allá de la competencia. Le gustaría conversar sobre sus historias personales, pero también sobre cómo enfrentan la presión, la frustración, la salud mental y las exigencias del alto rendimiento.
“Me gustaría hacer notas a deportistas, no solamente argentinos, sino del mundo”, she told. And she specified that she wants to explore how they face competition and how they cope with pressure in an era when social media adds new stimuli and difficulties.
También le gustaría volver a integrar un programa diario. Durante 2025 trabajó en Perros de la Calle y disfrutó de esa cotidianidad, de la posibilidad de abordar temas más amplios y de no hablar exclusivamente de deportes. Este año no lo hizo porque “la cobertura del Mundial volvía mucho más difícil compatibilizar las dos actividades”.
Sofi tiene ganas de seguir probando, aprendiendo y encontrando nuevos espacios para desarrollar su carrera. Su recorrido ya la llevó a vivir experiencias que de chica parecían impensadas, pero todavía tiene objetivos por cumplir.
“When Love Enters, It Breaks Everything”
Towards the end of the interview, Priscila asked if, among so many professional projects, there was also room for love. Sofi answered without hesitation that yes.
“Of course, better yet,” she said with a laugh.
For her, work and personal projects do not necessarily have to be planned separately. Although she has professional goals and many desires to try new things, she feels that love can appear at any moment and change plans.
“Besides, when love enters, it breaks everything. I have the feeling you can’t choose: ‘No, this year is going to be professional.’ And no, nothing. When it happens, it happens and to hell with everything,” she expressed.
Thus, between the passion for sport, the challenge of living with exposure, the memories of a love story that still has chapters to process, and the desire to form a family, Sofi Martínez is navigating a phase in which she looks ahead while continuing to acknowledge everything that brought her here.
Watch the full interview of Priscila Crivocapich with Sofi Martínez here:
Credits:
Videos: @rrociobustos and @ramapalais
Styling: @alegarcia360
Makeup: @biandesimonemakeup
Hair: @mercedessanz_
We thank @laspepasinst @fabianzittaofficial @joti.harriague @lunagarzonaccesorios @lachicadelosstilettos
