More than a decade ago, an Argentine couple with a passion for soccer faced an unforeseen challenge when naming their son after the nation’s most iconic player.
Their chosen name, inspired by Lionel Messi, was found to violate a lesser-known Argentine law from 1969 that forbids the use of surnames as first names.
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Ultimately, Messi David Varela received permission to keep his unique name after his parents petitioned the civil registry in Río Negro province. Hector Varela and his wife, Lorena Sanchez, chose “Messi” to stand out, noting that there were already many children named Lionel or Leo after the beloved number 10 of the Argentine national team.
“This was more of a statement,” Hector recounted in an interview with a well-known Argentine radio show back in September 2014.
There are countless ways that fans across Argentina celebrate Messi’s remarkable performances at the recent World Cup. At 39, he already leads the tournament with an impressive eight goals, surpassing even Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé. He dramatically saved Argentina from defeat against Egypt in the Round of 16, assisting Christian Romero before scoring an equalizer himself.
An Argentine fan shows off a tattoo of Lionel Messi.
(Marcos del Mazo via Getty Images)
While Argentine fans have adorned walls with murals of Messi, penned songs celebrating him, and tattooed his likeness, jersey, and signature on their skin, one tribute remains largely forbidden in the country: the law still prohibits parents from naming their children Messi.
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As of June 2025, only 11 individuals in Argentina had been given the first name Messi, all aged 19 or younger, according to the national registry of people. This number pales in comparison to the 205 Americans who bear the name. Or the approximately 265 residents of France or the 363 Brazilians, or the astonishing 3,402 Peruvians.
Following Hector Varela and Lorena Sanchez’s global recognition after receiving special permission to name their son after Messi in 2014, other parents in Messi’s home province of Santa Fe tried to do the same. However, the head of the civil registry there quickly denied similar requests, emphasizing that “Using surnames as first names is prohibited by law due to potential confusion.”
“The law is national and uniform, and it doesn’t change by region,” stated Buenos Aires attorney Santiago Williams to Yahoo Sports. “What differs is the enforcement of this law by each province’s civil registry, highlighted by the Messi case where one province granted it while another rejected similar requests at the same time.”
Options Still Exist for Lionel — or Lionela
To avoid legal complications, many Argentine parents wishing to honor Messi typically choose his first name or a variation thereof.
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There are over 100,000 Argentines named Lionel, as reported by the national registry. Approximately 87% of them are 19 or younger, born after Messi made his highly-anticipated debut for FC Barcelona at 17, and after he became the youngest goalscorer for the club shortly thereafter.
Messi led Argentina to its first World Cup title in 36 years on December 22, 2022, scoring two goals to defeat France in the final. In 2023 alone, a remarkable 9,505 infants were given the name Lionel at birth, according to national records, along with 446 babies receiving the name Lionela. This means about 1 in 47 babies born in Argentina in 2023 carry the name Lionel or Lionela.
Similarly, Messi’s influence extends beyond Argentina, as evidenced by one soccer enthusiast from Argentina who moved to the Dallas area at the age of 10. Mauro Ahumada fondly recalls playing soccer in the streets of his hometown and recalling the excitement when Messi joined Barcelona’s youth academy at 13.
As a teenager, Ahumada closely followed Messi’s career and filled his closet with Barcelona jerseys and memorabilia.
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When he learned that his then-girlfriend, now-wife Rebekah, was expecting a boy, he knew he wanted to name his son directly after Messi, noting that it wasn’t just Messi’s accolades but also his character that inspired him.
“What about Lionel?” Ahumada suggested offhandedly to Rebekah.
“I like that name,” she replied.
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However, when he proposed adding Messi’s middle name, Andrés, Rebekah reacted sharply, pointing out her ex’s name was also Andrés.
Today, Lionel Agustín Ahumada is 7 years old and immerses himself in soccer, playing regularly with his father in their backyard.
Mauro Ahumada named his now 7-year-old son, Lionel Agustín Ahumada, after the great Lionel Messi. (Courtesy of Mauro Ahumada)
“I’m Argentina!” Ahumada jokingly tells his son, “What team are you?”
“I’m Texas!” Lionel replies, bringing a smile to his father’s face.
Currently, there is limited information available about Messi David Varela, now nearly 12 years old, who holds Messi’s surname as his first name. Attempts to reach his parents, who have largely stayed out of the public eye since 2014, were unsuccessful.
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A 2022 report from Todo Noticias Roca indicated that Messi David Varela played soccer at his elementary school and wore the number 30, recalling Lionel Messi’s number upon debut at FC Barcelona. He has shown a keen interest in watching matches and dreams of one day meeting his famous namesake.
His mother mentioned that people often approach her, curious if that is indeed her son’s real name.
And the answer is yes.
In Argentina, he remains one of the very few.