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Rosario, Argentina - the hometown of Lionel Messi - has passed a law preventing parents from naming their children after the Barcelona superstar.
So when one Argentine parent, Hector Varela, decided to name his son after the Argentine great, government officials in Rosario were less than thrilled. Gonzalo Carrillo, the director of Civil Register of the Santa Fe province said that no child shall be given the name “Messi” because it is a last name and it should be kept that way.
As ridiculous as this seems, it actually is not uncommon in Argentina.
Unlike in the U.S., where your name is seen as a personal form of expression, in Argentina there is a registry that has "acceptable names" - and, if you have a new name you would like to use that is not on the list, you must clear it through them. The registry doesn’t like first names that sound like last names, a protocol left over from the Peronist era where the government wanted a more homogenous-seeming population, especially with a lot of new immigrants coming to Argentina. At the time, you wouldn't have been able to name your child Charlie or Matthew, it would have to be Carlos or Matias. This article is old but explains it well.
Lionel Messi carried Argentina to the World Cup final before losing to Germany 1-0. (Photo:@102greatgoals | Twitter)
Despite how crazy this headline sounds to Americans, the Argentine government is right that they risk seeing a huge number of children named after the iconic player, and even his offspring. After Messi’s son Thiago was born, the name Thiago exploded to the #4 name in Argentina - and that’s just his son. The weird thing is, the first names “Maradona,” and “Ronaldo” are fair game. So why did they deem "Messi" unfit to serve as a first name?
According to Mundo Deportivo, officials expected a flood of babies named “Messi” and thought it would lead to confusion. The only thing strange about this explanation is the timing. Messi is certainly not a new player on the scene. People have had plenty of time to name their children after the 4-time Ballon d’Or winner but haven’t - at least, in large numbers. Then, one parent names their child “Messi Daniel Varela,” and the registry reacts.
Which celebrity athlete would you name your child after?
Follow The18 Writer Bryce Badwan on Twitter @BBadss
