In Argentina, and especially in Rosario where Messi comes from, the day revolves around rituals more than a fixed menu. Mornings and afternoons belong to mate, the shared infusion that passes from hand to hand. The weekday lunch is simple and hearty (milanesa, meat, starches). On weekends, everything converges on the Sunday asado: the big family barbecue that lasts for hours. And for the afternoon snack (la merienda), it's time for the sweetness of dulce de leche. No starter/main/dessert French-style: you share, you wait for the meat, you pass the mate around.

Two markers of Argentine culinary identity: the ubiquitous milk jam on the sweet side, and slow cooking over wood embers (parrilla) on the savory side. Messi, even when living in Barcelona and later Paris, stayed faithful to mate, dulce de leche, and the Sunday family asado.