Dive into the fascinating story of Mauro Icardi, famously known as ‘o cañito.’ His journey from Rosario, Argentina to the heights of European football is one marked by ambition, incredible goal-scoring skills, and no shortage of controversy. The drama began when Icardi married Argentine media personality Wanda Nara, who was previously married to Icardi’s former Sampdoria teammate, Maxi López. Their relationship caused a media storm and brought Icardi into the spotlight for reasons beyond his football career.
Exploring Mauro Icardi’s Life from Childhood: The Scandals, the Success, and the Striker’s Journey to the Top
But there’s much more to Icardi than just headlines. This biography takes you through his early years, the values his family instilled in him, and the experiences that shaped his character and career. It’s a story of determination and resilience, showing the person behind the footballer and the journey he took to reach the top of the sport.
From overcoming challenges to becoming one of the most prolific strikers in Europe, discover the life of a player who has always stayed true to himself, both on and off the pitch.
Mauro Icardi Childhood Story – Early Life and Family Background:
For Biography starters, Mauro Emanuel Icardi Rivero was born on the 19th day of February 1993 in Rosario, province of Santa Fe, Argentina, to his Mother, Analia Rivero, and Father, Juan Icardi.
The striker was born to a family of immigrants who migrated from Argentina to Spain. In 2001 Mauro Icardi’s family was forced to migrate to Spain because his father couldn’t find a job in Argentina.
Early on, the Mauro Icardi family decided to live in the Canary Islands, located at the coast of northwestern Africa. There, his dad found a job as a restaurant manager.
Mauro, as a boy, wasn’t very interested in taking up football as a profession. In fact, it was his father who wanted him to play the game.
Juan Icardi, Mauro’s father, had his career prematurely cut off. However, he wanted his son to achieve what he couldn’t.
He was always used to shouting at his son…‘ Mauro..You must succeed where I failed. Its a must.”
Mauro Icardi Family Life:
First off, Mauro Icardi came from a poor family background. Now, let’s use this section to tell you facts about the Icardi household.
About Mauro Icardi’s Father:
His dad, Juan Carlos Icard, was a professional butcher who loved managing restaurants aside from doing his butchering job to providing for his family, especially his son, in the early part of his career.
Mauro Icardi Family- Father, Juan Carlos and Mother, Analia Rivero.
Presently, he is separated from his much younger wife, Analia Rivero. When they separated, Juan Carlos Icard returned to Rosario, where he lives next to his youngest son, Guido Icardi, who takes very good care of him.
About Mauro Icardi’s Mother:
Mauro Icardi’s mother, Analia Rivero, is young and very beautiful. She gave birth to her son at the age of 17. Mauro is currently 24, and his mother is 41 at the time of writing.
Mauro Icardi and Mother, Analia Rivero.
About Mauro Icardi’s Brother:
Mauro Icardi’s brother is Guido Icardi.
He is one who likes to get together with his brother and supports him whether he makes good or bad decisions. Guido currently lives in Rosario, where he takes good care of his parents.
However, it pained him that his brother didn’t care as much as he did for him. In his words, “Mauro does not have so much relationship with me as I do with him.
But I think he loves me as a brother. I would love to meet Francesca, his daughter and tell him I am his uncle. Mauro has a very busy life both off and on the pitch.”
About Mauro Icardi’s Sister:
Ivana Icardi is Mauro Icardi’s sister. She was born on 2 June 1995. She is a proud supporter of her brother’s career.
Mauro Icardi’s Sister- Ivanna Icardi.
She is a lover of her exotic pet: a grey bunny rabbit whom she names Calvin. Ivana Icardi carries it everywhere she goes. She also loves her boyfriend, Luifa Galesio, as she tags him along with Calvin in her social media post below.
Ivana was once been a participant in the popular Big Brother adventure reality show in Argentina.
Stealing Wanda Nara:
Mauro’s off-the-pitch life has come under criticism in recent years. He has lived a controversial marital relationship with Wanda Nara, who is the former wife of his good friend and former teammate Maxi Lopez.
Mauro Icardi’s Controversial Love Story.
The love triangle involving Icardi, his former friend Maxi López, and Argentine media personality Wanda Nara came to light in November 2013, revealing that Icardi had pursued Nara as her marriage crumbled.
The Inter Milan forward took to Twitter to express his feelings, stating: “I love you [Wanda Nara]. It’s never easy to articulate my feelings because I’ve learned that those two words (‘I love you’ = ‘te amo’ in Spanish) carry an unlimited emotion!”
This tweet coincided with an interview Nara gave to Revista People, where she disclosed: “It’s been three months since my husband and I were intimate. Maxi has neglected me. Despite living in luxury, I’m also dealing with hidden pain. I think it’s too late for me to save my family. I won’t fight for money, because he knows who I am.”
Since then, Icardi and Nara have become known for their frequent public displays of affection on social media, sharing numerous selfies and declarations of love. They eventually tied the knot in Buenos Aires in an intimate ceremony attended by just 12 family members, with Icardi opting to wear jeans for the occasion.
In 2013, Nara left Icardi’s former teammate and good friend, Maxi López, to pursue a relationship with the 23-year-old striker. Now, Icardi is taking care of López’s three children from his marriage to Nara.
López, who shares those three children with Nara, later refused to shake Icardi’s hand during a match between Inter Milan and his team, Torino.
It all began with an iPad:
In his book, Icardi revealed that Nara first reached out to him while she was still married to his best friend.
It states: “The day before I was set to leave for a friendly tour in the US, I received a message from Wanda.”
“I was surprised because I usually communicated with Maxi, not her. She asked if I could buy a new iPad while I was in the US since it wasn’t available in Italy at that time.
“That moment made me wonder—did Wanda really want the tablet, or was she just looking for a reason to reach out to me?
“When I returned to Milan, one of the first things I did was reconnect with Wanda. It was the perfect excuse to see her since I needed to hand over the new iPad.
“We exchanged messages often, and during that time, we started to be more open about our feelings.
She invited me, saying, ‘Mauro, we [Maxi López and she] are going to the Aeolian Islands with Gonzalo Bergessio and his wife. Why don’t you come along?’
“Naturally, I was eager to join. While I was alone on the second floor of the boat, lounging on the couch and listening to some reggae, Wanda suddenly sat down next to me without any hesitation. By then, her relationship with Maxi was clearly nearing its end.”
The rest, as they say about the striker who, as of 2024, partners with Osimhen at Galatasaray, is history.
Moving on:
Nara is now one of the most powerful women in Italian football and is Icardi’s agent. Wanda and Icardi don’t go unnoticed very often when they head out to town.
She was the brains behind securing Icardi, his second Inter contract, which includes a huge £98 million release clause.
An unforgettable period came for Mauro Icardi when Nara put to birth his first child of his own. With his personal record for goals in Serie A in addition to being a father for the first time with the arrival of his precious daughter Francesca, Inter Channel took the opportunity to speak with the Inter striker:
“The birth of Francesca is a great joy, it was all beautiful. I am very happy because finally our princess arrived who we waited for 9 months.
I was in the room for an hour, then when the doctor gave me the opportunity to pick her up I felt great emotions. Wanda has suffered the most, but now I can rest before returning home.
They say she looks like her father, but we’ll see when she’s older. Dedication? For her, of course, although I do not know when the coach will make me play, whether tomorrow or Sunday. My next goal will be for the mother of this child.”
Mauro Icardi’s Love Story is quite similar to Cesc Fabregas, who also claimed another man’s wife. It’s quite different from Robert Lewandowski, Radamel Falcao and Antonio Griezmann, who found their woman and got married without issues.
Career Start:
Because of his dad’s great push, young Mauro was forced to start playing soccer when he was just five years old in Sarratea, a juvenile team in the north of Argentina.
The Early Football Days of Mauro Icardi. He kickstarted his soccer journey at age five in Sarratea, fueled by his father’s encouragement.
Little did he know it was actually his calling to destiny.
Playing for the Spanish Unión Deportiva Vecindario team in Las Palmas, little Mauro scored more than 500 goals between 2002 and 2008 and even if it’s not a world-famous top team, such a performance gets a lot of top teams’ headhunters and managers’ attention.
Since his childhood, he’s seen a lot of things, but he’s always loved playing soccer. “No matter where he played, he always scored,” says Juan Carlos, his father.
After analysing many opportunities, the Icardi family decided that Barcelona’s cantera was the best option, allowing Icardi to continue his studies and grow at a personal level.
In Barcelona Youth Academy, he perfected his technique, and with 18 goals, he helped the Juvenil B win the title.
Just as he is used to making quick decisions on the field, with the same speed in 2011, he decided that Pep Guardiola’s tactic ideas in the main team didn’t suit his game.
The truth is, there is no classic number nine role. Because of that, he took a big chance once again:
Icardi left Barcelona’s safe and global status for a second-division (at the time) Italian football team.
He was sold to Sampdoria with a 400.000 euro buying option. He reached promotion to Serie A in just six months, playing only 79 minutes and scoring his first Italian goal.
Mauro Icardi Biography – Rising to Fame:
He first played as a regular in Serie A with Sampdoria.
One day, while Sampdoria was down one goal and missing one man since 30′ in the first half, Mauro scored twice, changing the match’s history and letting the world know a true jewel was born. It was in that season that Mauro got popular, earning a stable role in the team.
Several other teams developed an interest in him, just as happened in 2008 when Barcellona bought him from Las Palmas.
The winning team was Internazionale di Milano, who paid 13 million euros for the player.
Mauro Icardi Tattoo Facts:
Icardi’s controversial relationship with Wanda Nara, the ex-wife of his best friend and team-mate Maxi Lopez, has read like the worst-scripted soap opera.
One of the best episodes has remarkably managed to hit a new low after the Inter Milan striker decided to get a tattoo of the former best friend’s three children on his arm.
Icardi, after tattooing his hand, tweeted his new ink with the message: ‘I love these three little angels’.
Lopez reacted,
I understand that, as a public figure, he shares photos, but I’m not comfortable with my kids being in them,” López told Sky Sports.
He added: “The kids are my source of strength… they know I’ll do whatever it takes to protect them because they mean the world to me.”
Now, here comes the mightiest tattoo of all. The giant lion tattoo represents his figure in the field of play. Icardi shared the image on his Instagram account and declared: “After three days and five months, it is looking good.
Arturholykoi is the name of Icardi’s tattoo artist.
Mauro Icardi Bio – Branded a ‘traitor’:
The talented Inter forward has faced a lot of criticism for his part in the breaking up of Nara and Lopez’s marriage. As recently, Diego Maradona brewed a war of words with Mauro Icardi, labelling the Inter captain as a ‘traitor’.
When asked to give a view of his countryman’s marital life, he said, ‘I don’t speak about traitors’.
Icardi wasn’t one to sit back and take the insult quietly as he also made a scathing reply, claiming that the Argentine legend loved making a mess out of situations.
And it doesn’t end here as Inter’s former manager, Frank De Boer, also joined the battle to defend his player by claiming that Icardi’s reply to the Napoli legend was the right thing to do.
The surprising thing is that none of this affected Icardi’s form, as he has continued to score amazing goals for his club.
Clashing with his own fans:
In a Serie A away match against Sassuolo in 2015, Inter were handed a humiliating defeat by the minnows. Icardi was introduced as a second-half substitute, and the Nerazzurri trailed by two goals. The Argentine scored one for Inter, but an 83rd-minute penalty by Sassuolo sealed the game.
After the match, many of Inter’s players went near the stands to thank the fans for their support. Icardi, among others, threw their jerseys into the crowd in the process.
However, a number of shirts were thrown right back at the players by the disgruntled fans who had witnessed their side’s second successive defeat.
Icardi, in particular, was furious at the act and ranted at the fans in anger. He even had to be held back by Captain Andrea Ranocchia as his head went over the boil.
Inter boss Roberto Mancini criticised the Argentinian, stating that he was wrong. However, he also played down the issue by saying: ‘I told him he shouldn’t have gone to the stands because it was only to be expected that the fans would be angry.”
Goal Scoring Record:
He is the seventh Argentinian to conquer the top scorer title, joining a very exclusive circle that counts all-time big names like Enrique Omar Sivori, Diego Maradona, Gabriel Batistuta and Crespo among others. Mauro Icardi won the Serie A Golden Boot at the age of 22.
Mauro Icardi is, without any doubt, a lethal weapon in the last 15 meters. He also holds another record as one of the world’s best forward players who has scored 51 times in only 95 attempts. Nearly a goal every two attempts.
Captaincy Facts:
The Striker was nominated Inter team’s captain by expert coach Roberto Mancini. He is the youngest Inter captain ever in the past 50 years. The big question people have asked is: Why was Mauro Icardi given the Captaincy role?
Roberto Mancini gave him the role because he saw him as the best in the following qualities. Mauro was the most professional during training. He has the most concentration and is a game’s fast reader.
This sums up his maturity in the field. And one of his best features is speed – he is a very quick runner. While he’s only on the threshold of becoming 23 years old, his maturity in and out of the field truly is impressive.
Style of Play:
Icardi is known for being a quick, tactically savvy, and physically strong striker. He is loaded with good technique, attacking movement, positioning, and an eye for scoring goals. He mainly operates in central areas inside the penalty area.
Icardi, much like Dušan Vlahović and Victor Osimhen, is known for his precision and efficiency when it comes to finishing, whether it’s with his head or either foot. His ability to find the back of the net with just a few touches is impressive, but he’s also skilled at holding up the ball, creating space, and setting up opportunities for his teammates. It’s this well-rounded style of play that earned him the nicknames “El Niño del partido” and “O cañito,” highlighting his reputation as a player who can change the course of a game in an instant.
