La Araña shared a romantic photo with María Emilia Ferrero amid rumors linking him to the Lebanese-American model.
Social media has made it easier for fans to connect with their idols across various fields, allowing them to tag them and interact briefly in hopes of getting a response. Recently, former adult film actress Mia Khalifa made headlines after rumors surfaced suggesting a romantic connection between her and Argentine national team player Julián Álvarez.
The rumors spread quickly, as English newspaper The Sun, Portuguese A Bola, Italian Il Messaggero, and even Spain’s Ok Diario reported versions of a relationship with the Atlético Madrid player. These rumors contradicted the reality, as La Araña remains in a relationship with María Emilia Ferrero, with whom he lives.
It’s important to note that Mia Khalifa is a sensation across various platforms with over 36 million followers on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Her popularity skyrocketed during her brief time in the adult film industry, from October 2014, even becoming the most-watched actress on Pornhub in just two months (before leaving the industry shortly after). This fame led many people to inquire on social media about her possible new relationship.
The European reports quickly reached Khalifa, now 31, who vehemently denied the claims: “To clarify: I’m not dating anyone, and if I were, it certainly wouldn’t be someone who is too young to remember where they were on September 11.” This reference is to the 2001 terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in the United States, a time when Julián was under two years old.
Now, it was the World Cup champion’s turn to respond to the uproar: he posted a photo to dispel the rumored link with the Lebanese-American model born in 1993. On his official Instagram profile, followed by over 16 million users, he shared a story (which disappears after 24 hours) showing him with his girlfriend, María Emilia Ferrero, with a romantic message: “I love you.” The short caption in capital letters was accompanied by a white heart.
The image was taken at the Argentine national team’s training center in Ezeiza, with a building in the background that mentions the titles won by La Albiceleste, reading: “Champions, all together again.” María Emilia even reposted the image on her account.
Earlier, the Cordovan forward shared details of his love story with Ferrero in the documentary ‘Julián Álvarez: Standing Alone’, produced by City Studios: “We’ve known each other since we were, I think, 9 or 10 years old. I’m from Calchín, the town, and her father was from there, and her grandfather was from there. She always visited her grandfather, and that’s where we met.”
“We had the same group of friends, and that’s how it started. We talked. Then time passed. I went to Buenos Aires. Maybe when I returned to Córdoba, we’d meet up sometimes, through the group of friends. We’ve been together since 2022,” he added.
Julián also mentioned one of the things he likes most about Ferrero: “Thank God, she likes watching football; we spend a lot of time on the couch watching games. Sometimes I forget, and she says ‘so and so is playing,’ and she puts it on because I’m distracted.”
Now, the former River Plate and Manchester City player can move past these personal life rumors and focus on his upcoming match with Atlético Madrid. After being called up to the national team, he may return to play for Atlético this Saturday at 12:15 PM (Argentina time) against Alavés at home in La Liga.