Lionel Messi (Photo: Emiliano Lasalvia / courtesy of AFA)
Setting a national precedent, a couple in the province of Río Negro has been granted authorisation to name their son Messi after footballing hero Lionel Messi.
After a ten-day wait, Héctor Varela was told that the General Roca civil registry would allow him to call his son Messi Daniel Varela.
He explained his decision in an interview on La Red Neuquén radio: “I called him Messi because he’s my idol … I was going to call my eldest who is eight Messi, but she was a girl. My second one is five and I also wanted the name for her. Now finally we have a son, and my wife agreed immediately … I didn’t realise he was the first ‘Messi’ in Argentina.”
In Argentina, it is prohibited for surnames to be used as first names, due to the fact that it could lead to confusion. But the Río Negro decision could set a precedent for other provinces to be more flexible in their rules.
Now the 35-year-old Independiente fan is hoping his idol hears the news. “I hope he finds out and that one day they can meet. There must be many people who call their sons Lionel, but Messi… it’s stronger, right?”
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