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Why Lionel Messi’s Nickname is La Pulga – Details Emerge

Lionel Messi is most commonly known as ‘The Goat’, as he has won 45 trophies, scored 849 goals, and registered 378 assists in his career.

His nickname ‘La Pulga’ originates from childhood due to his dribbling skills and small frame.

‘La Pulga Atomica’ emerged in 2010 after stellar performances, which helped him secure back-to-back Ballon d’Or victories.
Most commonly, Lionel Messi is known as ‘The Goat’ for his achievements and contribution to the game. He has won 45 trophies in his career, including the 2022 World Cup and four Champions League titles. Individually, he has scored 849 goals and registered 378 assists in 1080 appearances – a staggering career for the left-footed Argentinian.

While ‘The Goat’ is the most popular nickname for Messi by fans and pundits alike, ‘La Pulga’ is also a commonly used nickname in reference to the 37-year-old. It is a Spanish phrase that translates to ‘The Flea’ in English, relating to Messi’s small frame and dribbling ability. Here is everything you need to know about where the nickname comes from.

Why is Messi Nicknamed ‘The Flea’
Messi’s nickname originates from his childhood. His two older brothers, Rodrigo and Matias, played football with the young Argentinian regularly when they were growing up, alongside their cousins. Messi’s eye-catching dribbling ability to take the ball, past opposition players, with ease on his left foot led to his older brothers dubbing him ‘La Pulgita’, which means ‘little flea’. This phrase was later amended to become ‘La Pulga’, simply translating to ‘The Flea’.

As a young player, Messi was often the smallest player on the pitch, but due to his artistry when the ball was at his feet, he was able to wriggle away from pressure and create chances for himself and his teammates. When Messi was aged 11, he was diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency by doctor Diego Schwarzstein. This meant that he had to have Human Growth Hormone (HGH) injections into both of his legs. Barcelona covered the payments for the treatment, and he joined La Masia when he was 13. La Pulga eventually grew to his current height, 5 foot 7 inches, establishing himself as one of the best players the game has ever seen.

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Nickname Transitions To ‘La Pulga Atomica’

One of Messi’s best years as a Barcelona player was in 2010 – a year that saw him win the Ballon d’Or for the second time. During his career, the Argentinian has won the coveted individual award a record-breaking eight times. In 2010, Messi made 64 appearances for club and country, scoring 60 goals and registering 17 assists. He scored a goal every 89 minutes and registered a goal contribution every 69 minutes. Barcelona won the 2009/10 La Liga title, along with the Supercopa de Espana, meaning he edged the Ballon d’Or vote over Cristiano Ronaldo in 2010.

Due to his performances, the Spanish media coined a new nickname for the Argentinian playmaker. Writing for Mundo Deportivo, Jose Luis Artus recalled a man of the match display by Messi against Getafe, describing him as the best striker in the world. He said:

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King Ademola Lookman Brings Out His Love

Like his father opened up, Ademola Lookman is essentially a private person, who prefers to do his stuff without all the media blitz.

But on one of his biggest days, when he was crowned Africa’s best player, he could not but make the first public appearance with the woman in his life – Jayda Love.

‘Adebobo’ would even steal a moment on his big night to kiss his American beau.

The 27-year-old Super Eagles star is still single.

Rumours of this romance first surfaced in the summer when the couple appeared to have spent the holidays together.

This was after ‘Mola’ scored his unforgettable hat-trick for Atalanta to win the UEFA Europa League in super style.

Jayda, an Information Technology specialist is based in Dallas, Texas, graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2021 with a degree in public relations.

She follows Ademola Lookman and his foundation on social media.

She is also known to have visited him at his Italian base.

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FIFA Rankings: Nigeria’s Super Eagles End 2024 Ahead Of Ghana, South Africa, Cameroon

Nigeria’s Super Eagles have ended 2024 ranked as Africa’s fifth-best team in FIFA’s latest global standings, released Thursday morning, Soccernet.ng reports.

Despite a challenging end to the year that saw the team drop eight places to 44th globally, the Super Eagles still managed to hold their own against eternal continental rivals like South Africa, Cameroon, and Ghana.

This year’s ranking represents a mixed bag for Nigeria. While the team retained its fifth spot in Africa, their decline in global rankings was driven by underwhelming performances in key fixtures.

Most notably, the Super Eagles struggled during the final rounds of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, securing just a solitary point in lackluster outings against the Benin Republic and Rwanda.

Nigeria were forced to a scored draw by the Cheetahs in Abidjan only for Samuel Chukwueze’s excellent strike to end up as consolation in a 2-1 home defeat to the Wasps.

Looking at year-to-year standings, at this time in 2023, Nigeria’s Super Eagles were ranked 42nd in the world but sixth on the continent.

Elsewhere, South Africa’s Bafana Bafana showed marked improvement, climbing th

Cameroon and Ghana, however, endured disappointing campaigns. Ghana’s Black Stars finished the year ranked 77th, a stark reminder of the ongoing struggles within the Black Stars setup.

At the continental summit, Morocco retained their status as the continent’s best, finishing as Africa’s top-ranked team in 14th place globally.

Senegal (17th), Egypt (33rd), and Algeria (37th) rounded out the top four, with Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Mali, Tunisia, and South Africa completing the top 10.

Globally, Argentina retained their position as FIFA’s top-ranked team, followed by France, Spain, England, and Brazil.

With 1,181 international matches played across the calendar year, the rankings reflected consistent dominance from the world’s elite teams.

As Nigeria enter 2025, all eyes will be on the Super Eagles to reignite their competitive spark, with the World Cup qualifiers returning in the first quarter of the year.

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Mbappé: Would Have Been ‘Fun’ To Play With Cristiano Ronaldo

Kylian Mbappé has said he wishes he could have played with Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo, the club’s all-time leading scorer.

The France international has been a teammate of other football icons but would have relished playing alongside Ronaldo, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner and Portugal captain.

“I’ve played with great players: Lionel Messi, Neymar, [Antoine] Griezmann, [Paul] Pogba, [Karim] Benzema…” Mbappé told BeINsports.

“It would have been fun to play with Cristiano Ronaldo — it’s going to be very difficult now — but I was lucky enough to play against him, a legend of the sport.”

Ronaldo, 39, left the Spanish giants in 2018 now plays for Saudi Pro-League side Al Nassr.

Mbappé helped Madrid win the Intercontinental Cup on Wednesday, his second title since joining the Spanish giants in the summer after his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expired.

Speaking to young people with disabilities as part of the BeUNITED program, Mbappe, 25, said he would have never left Paris Saint-Germain had it not been to join Madrid.

“I went to the biggest club in the world,” the 2018 World Cup winner said.

“I have always said that it was the only club I would have left PSG for. If I hadn’t been able to go to Madrid, I would have stayed at PSG all my life.”

Although Mbappé has been prolific for Madrid so far, he has faced criticism for his all-round performances with the team having suffered some high-profile defeats earlier in the season.

“Since I was 14, everyone told me I was going to be great,” Mbappé said.

“But when you’re big, sometimes you feel small…At first I was too hungry and it played tricks on me because I was impatient. But I have passion and this competitive side.

“My dream now is to win trophies with my team, not individual awards. What great title is left for me? The Champions League, but I’m in the best club in the world for that.”