Celeste Amarilla has spent more than four decades building a reputation as one of Paraguay’s most outspoken political voices, first as a founding youth organizer within her party and later as a lawmaker unafraid of confrontation.
As a senator of the Authentic Radical Liberal Party (PLRA), she has built a career defined by blunt public statements, clashes with colleagues across party lines, and a consistent willingness to say what many politicians avoid saying out loud.
She is known to Paraguayans as a fixture of the Chamber of Deputies and later the Senate, where she has pushed pension reform debates, challenged internal party corruption, and repeatedly found herself at the center of public disputes. In mid-2026, her profile expanded well beyond Paraguay’s borders after remarks she made about French footballer Kylian Mbappé during the World Cup drew international condemnation and diplomatic attention.
Her story reflects both the combative style that has defined much of her three-decade political career and the risks that come with that same combativeness on a global stage. Whether praised for her candor or criticized for her rhetoric, Amarilla remains one of the more closely watched figures in Paraguayan public life.
Profile
| Full Name | Celeste Josefina Amarilla Goitia |
| Born | October 21, 1964 |
| Age | 61 years old |
| Birthplace | San Juan Bautista, Misiones Department, Paraguay |
| Nationality | Paraguayan |
| Occupation | Lawyer and politician |
| Parents | Not publicly disclosed |
| Spouse | Franklin “Anki” Boccia (married until his death in 2015) |
| Children | Juliana María Boccia Amarilla |
| Net Worth | $2 million and $5 million |
Early Life
Celeste Josefina Amarilla Goitia was born on October 21, 1964, in San Juan Bautista, a town in Paraguay’s Misiones Department known for its historical significance in the country’s Jesuit missionary era. She spent part of her early education at the Collège de l’Immaculée Conception, a French-affiliated primary and secondary school in the capital, Asunción, which exposed her early on to a bilingual and internationally oriented academic environment.
Her entry into political life began remarkably early. In 1982, while still a young student, she helped establish the youth wing of the Authentic Radical Liberal Party, known as the Juventud Liberal Radical Auténtica, alongside her enrollment that same year in the Faculty of Law, Social Sciences, and Politics at the National University of Asunción. That combination of legal studies and grassroots party organizing in her late teens set the trajectory for the rest of her public life.
Education
Amarilla began her university studies in law and political science at the National University of Asunción in 1982 but did not complete them immediately, finishing only her first year at that time. She resumed her legal education more than two decades later, enrolling at the Universidad del Norte in 2004 and ultimately earning her law degree in 2008. She later added a postgraduate qualification in political science through the National University of Asunción’s rector’s office, rounding out a legal and political education that spanned several decades of her adult life.
Career
Amarilla’s political career formally traces back to 1982, when she helped found the PLRA’s youth movement, but her role as an elected official began decades later. Between July 2018 and June 2023, she served as a deputy in Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies, representing the Capital district and quickly establishing herself as one of the chamber’s more combative and headline-generating members.
Her time in the Chamber of Deputies was marked by open conflict with fellow lawmakers. In 2020, she was suspended for sixty days from her parliamentary duties and salary after alleging that as many as seventy of her fellow deputies had effectively purchased their seats, a claim that triggered a formal disciplinary vote against her. Rather than retreating from confrontation, she continued to position herself as a critic of internal corruption and party dysfunction throughout her time in the lower house.
In the general election held on April 30, 2023, Amarilla was elected to a five-year term in the Senate, cementing her transition to the upper chamber of Paraguay’s Congress. As a senator, she has continued her pattern of public confrontation, including a 2025 effort alongside fellow lawmakers Ignacio Iramain Chilavert and Eduardo Nakayama to launch impeachment proceedings against fellow PLRA senator Noelia Cabrera over nepotism allegations, a move that triggered counter-accusations against Amarilla herself from rival factions within her own party.
Throughout 2025 and into 2026, Amarilla remained a vocal presence in debates over pension reform, criticizing her own party’s leadership for what she described as resistance to necessary changes to the country’s Public Pension Fund. In July 2026, her national profile turned into an international story when comments she posted online about French footballer Kylian Mbappé, following Paraguay’s World Cup elimination by France, drew widespread condemnation from football officials, French politicians, and international media. The French Football Federation stated it would pursue judicial action, and Paris prosecutors confirmed an investigation had been opened following a complaint about the remarks. Amarilla later deleted the posts, issued a public letter addressing Mbappé, and said she regretted using language similar to insults she said she has personally experienced as a mixed-race woman, while continuing to criticize Mbappé’s conduct during the match and accusing him in turn of gender-based aggression toward her.
Social Media
- Instagram: @celestesenadora
- X (Twitter): @CelesteSenadora
Personal Life
Amarilla was married to Franklin Boccia, known affectionately as “Anki,” until his death in 2015. The couple had one daughter together, Juliana María Boccia Amarilla, who has largely remained outside the public eye and whom Amarilla rarely discusses in media interviews. Since her husband’s death, Amarilla has spoken about drawing strength from her family, including her daughter and a granddaughter, while continuing her legislative career.
Amarilla has described her own heritage as a blend of Indigenous and Spanish ancestry, a detail she referenced publicly during the 2026 controversy surrounding her comments about Kylian Mbappé. That episode became the most prominent controversy of her career to date: after posting a series of comments online that mocked Mbappé’s Cameroonian heritage and upbringing following Paraguay’s World Cup exit, she faced sharp public criticism from Mbappé himself, the French Football Federation, and French political figures, along with a formal complaint referred to prosecutors in Paris. Amarilla subsequently deleted the posts and published an open letter acknowledging regret for the language she used, while simultaneously accusing Mbappé of sexism in his response and threatening her own legal action against him. As of this writing, the matter remains unresolved, with both sides maintaining their positions publicly.
Net Worth
Celeste Amarilla’s net worth is estimated to fall between $2 million and $5 million, a figure attributed to her decades-long combined career as a practicing lawyer and elected politician.
As a sitting member of Paraguay’s Congress, she earns an annual base salary of approximately $48,000, which represents only a portion of her overall financial profile alongside earnings from her legal practice built up over the years before and during her political career.
Political Career Timeline
- 1982 – Co-founded the youth wing of the Authentic Radical Liberal Party (PLRA)
- 2008 – Earned her law degree from the Universidad del Norte
- July 2018 – Elected as a deputy representing Paraguay’s Capital district
- 2020 – Suspended for 60 days from the Chamber of Deputies following corruption allegations she raised against colleagues
- April 2023 – Elected to the Paraguayan Senate for a five-year term
- 2025 – Pursued impeachment proceedings against a fellow PLRA senator over nepotism allegations
- 2026 – Advocated for pension fund reform and became the subject of international attention following remarks made about footballer Kylian Mbappé
Conclusion
Celeste Amarilla’s career traces a long, often turbulent arc through Paraguayan politics, from a teenage party organizer to a sitting senator willing to challenge her own colleagues publicly.
Her legal training and decades of legislative experience have given her a lasting voice in national debates over transparency, governance, and pension reform.
At the same time, her 2026 clash with Kylian Mbappé has placed her in an unfamiliar international spotlight, testing how her direct, confrontational style translates beyond Paraguay’s borders.
However that particular episode ultimately resolves, Amarilla’s decades of outspoken public service ensure she will remain a closely watched figure in her country’s political life for the foreseeable future.
