Lionel Messi's hometown Rosario bans residents from naming their children 'Messi'

Lionel Messi’s hometown of Rosario in Argentina has banned its residents from naming their new-born children “Messi”, say reports.

This law was passed after an Argentine citizen named his son “Messi Varela”.

Although ‘Messi’ is a surname, the man used it as a first name for his son. 

The main reasoning behind the ban is to avoid families from using a surname as the first name and thereby avoid confusion. 

Varela, however, was extremely happy to name his son after Messi, saying that “he was proud to be the first Argentinian to name his son after Messi”.

Officials in Rosario did not want Varela to set a precedent where families would do the same and name their kids after the four-time Ballon d’Or winner. Which means there will only be three Messis we know - Lionel Messi, his son and Messi Varela.

Ironically, families are still allowed to name their child after Diego Maradona.