BUENOS AIRES ∙ The registration office authorities in the Argentine province of Santa Fe now see two names: Lionel and Lionola! Everyone who comes to name their newborn children says these two names. Lionel if a boy. If he’s a girl, it’s Layana.
The reason is the admiration for world champion Lionel Messi. Santa Fe is the province that includes Messi’s hometown of Rosario. Diario La Capital, a local newspaper in Rosario, reported that 1 in 70 children born in December bore the name Messi.
At the same time, head coach Christophe Gaultier said Messi would not be on the field in today’s French Cup match, although he returned to French club PSG after celebrations in Argentina. Messi also took part in yesterday’s training session, arriving on the club’s pitch with a heroic welcome. The club’s decision is to give Messi a little more rest. He won’t play tomorrow. Messi will be back in the league match against Angers in the 12th minute,” Galtier said. The club has given rest to Brazilian player Neymar and French player Kylian Mbappe, who had previously joined the squad.
English summary: Worship of world champion Lionel Messi
