Iniesta to tie knot with mother of his “World Cup baby”

Spain’s World Cup-winning goal scorer Andrés Iniesta is to tie the knot. The Barcelona midfielder will marry long-term girlfriend Ana Ortiz on July 8 in a ceremony in Tarragona province.

The couple’s baby daughter, Valeria, has earned the nickname the “World Cup baby” following her arrival in April 2011, exactly nine months after the South Africa triumph.

The date has been chosen with the possibility in mind that Spain, the reigning European champion, might again reach the final of this year’s European Championship in Poland and Ukraine. The tournament begins on June 8 and the wedding takes place one week after it finishes on July 1.

The venue for the ceremony will be the spectacular Tamarit Castle in Altafulla, on the Tarragona coast, reported the local Diari de Tarragona newspaper. Eight hundred guests are expected to attend, meaning the couple have had to move the wedding banquet to Mas d’en Ros, a country estate situated along the main Reus to Cambrils highway. The Tamarit Castle only has capacity for 300 dinner guests.

There had been speculation over the last few months that Iniesta would choose to marry on July 12, the date Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly set to wed his Russian model girlfriend Irina Shayk in Porto Santo on his home island of Madeira.

July, situated in soccer’s off-season, is a common month for player weddings. The Iniesta news is sure to fuel further speculation about whether Spain and Real Madrid captain Iker Casillas might tie the knot with his TV presenter girlfriend Sara Carbonero.

The high-profile couple, who have been together for nearly two years and share a house, have remained silent on the subject. Although they are currently building a new home on the luxury La Finca development in Madrid, sources close to the pair say they are in no hurry to formalize their relationship.