Celeste Rey: Nicolás Otamendi's Wife, Children and Story

Celeste Rey is the long-time partner of Nicolás Otamendi, the Argentine centre-back and 2022 World Cup winner. Argentine media such as Canal26 and Caras call her his wife and say the two first met as teenagers and have been a couple since 2015. Otamendi is a father of three. As of November 2026, Otamendi plays for River Plate in Buenos Aires after six seasons at Benfica, and he has retired from the Argentina national team.

Celeste keeps a very low profile. She does not appear to run a public social media account, we could not find a published wedding date, and no reliable outlet publishes her exact age, so we do not state one. What follows is what Argentine and Portuguese media have reported, with the gaps left as gaps.

Who is Nicolás Otamendi's wife?

Nicolás Otamendi's partner is Celeste Rey. Canal26 and Caras call her his wife in their headlines, but their articles describe her as his partner since 2015 and do not mention a wedding. Canal26's profile, updated on 23 July 2026, says the two met as teenagers in Buenos Aires and have not separated since they reunited in Britain while he played for Manchester City. We could not find a reported wedding date or place, and no separation has been reported by the outlets we checked.

Nicolás Otamendi and Celeste Rey taking a mirror selfie in an elevator

Who is Celeste Rey?

Celeste Rey is Argentine, and the couple's story begins in Buenos Aires. The Argentine magazine Caras wrote in 2024 that she and Otamendi knew each other from adolescence but that their bond was only friendship until they met again in 2015 in Great Britain, when he was a Manchester City player. Canal26 gives the same starting point, "since 2015", for the couple.

Her profile is deliberately small. Canal26 notes that she keeps her social media accounts private and stays out of the digital spotlight. We have not found an interview in which she talks about her own work, so we do not say what she does for a living.

Celeste Rey in a black dress next to a box of pink flowers

How did Celeste Rey and Nicolás Otamendi meet?

According to Caras and Canal26, they met as teenagers in Buenos Aires. Life then took them in different directions: Otamendi left Vélez Sarsfield for Porto in 2010, then Valencia and Manchester City. The two reunited in Britain in 2015, the year he signed for City, and Canal26 reports that the relationship was kept private at first. It says Otamendi made it public in 2017, after paparazzi photographed them leaving a restaurant.

Celeste Rey's age and birthday

Her age is not published by a reliable outlet. Some profile sites give a birth date, but it is not sourced to anything the family has said, so we do not repeat it. If Celeste or Nicolás ever shares it publicly, we will update this section.

Celeste Rey and Nicolás Otamendi's children

Otamendi is a father of three. Canal26 and Caras describe all three as the couple's children, but Ciudad.com reported in 2024 that one of his daughters was born from an earlier relationship, so we do not say how many of them are Celeste's. We also leave out the children's names, ages and birth dates.

Life in Lisbon and Celeste's own words

While Otamendi played at Benfica, the family lived in Lisbon. During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Celeste spoke to Portuguese radio Antena 1. According to the report, she said the family did not know the future but was happy with the present, and that Otamendi was happy at Benfica. River Plate coach Martín Demichelis had publicly invited him to join the club around that time, a move that only became reality in 2026.

Nicolás Otamendi and Celeste Rey posing together on stone steps outside a historic building

Who is Nicolás Otamendi?

Nicolás Otamendi is an Argentine centre-back who grew up in El Talar, in Greater Buenos Aires. He was born on 12 February 1988, according to English and Spanish Wikipedia, which made him 38 when he announced his international retirement in July 2026.

Otamendi career timeline

2008 to 2010, Vélez Sarsfield: Primera División debut in May 2008, and the Clausura 2009 title.
2010 to 2014, Porto: three Primeira Liga titles (2010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13) and the 2010/11 Europa League.
2014 to 2015, Valencia: signed in February 2014 for about €12 million, was loaned to Atlético Mineiro in Brazil for 2014, then played the 2014/15 season in La Liga.
2015 to 2020, Manchester City: signed in August 2015 for about €38 million. According to Spanish Wikipedia, he played 210 games, scored 11 goals and won nine trophies, among them the Premier League in 2017/18 and 2018/19.
2020 to 2026, Benfica: joined in September 2020 for about €15 million, per Spanish Wikipedia. A Bola counts four trophies there: the Primeira Liga in 2022/23, the Taça da Liga in 2024/25 and the Supertaça in 2023 and 2025. He played 49 matches in his last season and chose not to renew.
2026, River Plate: the club announced his signing on 29 May 2026. According to A Bola, it is a one-and-a-half-year deal from 1 July 2026 to the end of 2027.

Otamendi and Argentina

Otamendi made his Argentina debut on 20 May 2009 against Panama and played for his country for 17 years. Depending on the count, he made about 140 appearances. He won the 2021 and 2024 Copa América, the 2022 Finalissima and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He also played at the 2010, 2018, 2022 and 2026 World Cups.

At the 2026 World Cup, Argentina reached the final on 19 July 2026 but lost 1-0 after extra time to Spain, with Ferran Torres scoring. Otamendi played in that final. A few days later, on 23 July 2026, Argentine media reported that he had announced his international retirement in a letter on social media. In it, he wrote that fate wanted his last match to be a World Cup final ("El destino quiso que mi último partido fuera una final del mundo"), and he said goodbye with the words "Hasta siempre, Selección".

That was not quite the end. Coach Lionel Scaloni called him up one last time for a friendly against Benin at the Monumental in Buenos Aires on 6 October 2026, so he could say goodbye in front of home fans. Otamendi scored early in the second half, according to La Página Millonaria and El Mundo, and Argentina won 3-0 according to El Mundo.

We did not find a public account in Celeste's name. Canal26 says she keeps her social accounts private, and she appears in photos that Otamendi posts. His own account is @nicolasotamendi30.

Nicolás Otamendi and Celeste Rey standing side by side in a selfie in a bright modern home

Net worth and salary

We do not publish a net worth for Celeste Rey: we have not found a reliable report of her work or income. Estimates for Otamendi's wealth online come from copy-pasted salary sites, so we leave them out as well.

Other Argentina players' wives

If you are interested in the other families behind the 2022 world champions, read about Lionel Messi's wife, Antonela Roccuzzo and Lautaro Martínez's wife, Agustina Gandolfo, who married in May 2023.

Quick facts

Name: Celeste Rey, Nicolás Otamendi's partner (called his wife by Argentine media)
Nationality: Argentine
Together: since 2015, after first meeting as teenagers in Buenos Aires, per Canal26 and Caras
Relationship made public: 2017, per Canal26
Wedding date: not published
Children: Otamendi has three; one daughter is from an earlier relationship, per Ciudad.com
Age: not published by a reliable outlet
Social media: private; no public account found
Otamendi's club in November 2026: River Plate (contract to the end of 2027)
Argentina: retired in July 2026; farewell match against Benin on 6 October 2026

Frequently asked questions

Who is Nicolás Otamendi's wife?

Celeste Rey, an Argentine woman he first knew as a teenager in Buenos Aires. Argentine media call her his wife, and they reunited in 2015 and went public in 2017, according to Canal26.

How many children does Otamendi have?

Three. Canal26 and Caras call all three the couple's children, but Ciudad.com reported in 2024 that one of his daughters is from an earlier relationship.