Story By: Alex Cope, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Golders

The respective wives of Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez are set to close their joint shoe shop business together after less than two years with the store recording huge losses.

Messi’s wife Antonella Roccuzzo and Suarez’s spouse Sofia Balbi will shut the Sarkany shoe shop they opened on Avenida Diagonal in Barcelona city centre less than two years after opening it together.

The pair had opened the shop for the Sarkany brand, founded by Argentine designer Ricky Sarkany, in May 2017 but reports suggest the boutique had recorded losses of around 150,000 EUR (128,820 GBP) by January 2019.

Pictures Credit: Golders/@rickysarkany

The shop’s webiste was offering 70-percent discounts with prices on the luxury shoes starting as low as 45 EUR (38 GBP).

Ricky Sarkany confirmed to Argentine news outlet Infobae that the shop will close on 30th March, saying: “At this stage they (Roccuzzo and Balbi) need to dedicate themselves to their youngest children.”

Sarkany added that he was “deeply grateful” for the WAGs work on the project which he described as “beautiful and unforgettable”.

Messi’s wife gave birth to their youngest son Ciro in March 2017 while Balbi gave birth to Suarez’s third child Lauti in October 2018.

The shop was Sarkany’s first in Europe and he said: “My challenge now is to continue the expansion with the RS brand, to build on what has been built.”