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

Published

1 week ago

November 12, 2024

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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Ambrose Ijeh

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Lionel Messi Dusts Cristiano Ronaldo In Another World Record

Published

9 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Ambrose Ijeh

Lionel Messi Dusts Cristiano Ronaldo In Another World Record

Lionel Messi registered his 58th assist in international football, which is joint-most, as he equalled former United States’ star Landon Donovan’s tally.

Lionel Messi equalled another record in Argentina’s colours as he provided a match-winning assist to Lautaro Martinez in the FIFA World Cup South America qualifier against Peru. It was Messi’s 58th assist in international football, which is joint-most, as he equalled United States men’s national team legend Landon Donovan’s tally.

Messi floated in a cross from the left and Inter Milan’s Martinez leapt into the air, leaning back as he cracked a thundering left-footed volley past Pedro Gallese. It was not a very convincing performance from Argentina or Messi, but they managed to remain on top of the CONMEBOL standings, with their qualification for the 2026 tournament surely just a matter of time.

Argentina lead South American qualifying with 25 points from 12 matches, five points clear of its closest competitor, Uruguay. Ecuador and Colombia are next with 19 points each.

Messi’s former teammate and good friend Neymar is just right behind him with 57 assists in international football representing the Brazil national team. Meanwhile, his arch-rival Crstiano Ronaldo is way behind in the tally with 45 assists in the illustrious career but remains at the top of the goal-scoring charts with 135 goals in 215 appearances.

Meanwhile, with his astonishing strke Martinez has equalled legendary Diego Maradona’s tally of goals in international football. The Argentine great netted 32 goals during his illustrious career and Martinez matched it on Wednesday.

The Inter Milan striker opened up on his performance in Argentina’s last match of the year.

“I’m happy because my whole family came and I always want to give my best. This year was very positive and luckily we closed it with a victory,” Martinez told local TV.

He also talked about Argentina’s year, during which they won the Copa America title, adding another accolade to Messi’s illustrious legacy.

“It was a spectacular year in terms of performance, goals, games played. We have to keep playing and improving day by day.

“Everyone wants to beat us. Argentina’s national team are always the main characters. There are things to improve but we have to continue on this path,” he added.

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Ambrose Ijeh

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Arsenal Legend Patrick Vieira Appointed As Genoa Coach

Published

1 day ago

November 20, 2024

Ambrose Ijeh

Arsenal Legend Patrick Vieira Appointed As Genoa Coach

Patrick Vieira has been appointed as the new boss of Serie A side Genoa.

The former Arsenal and France midfielder has agreed a deal to replace Alberto Gilardino as coach of the Italian club.

Genoa fired Gilardino on Tuesday after a poor start to the season which has left them just a point above the relegation zone.

They moved quickly for Vieira, who had a two-year spell in charge of Crystal Palace and has also managed New York City, Nice and, most recently, Strasbourg.

“Genoa CFC announces that it has entrusted the technical management of the first team to Patrick Vieira,” the club said in a statement.

The 48-year-old will be reunited with his former Manchester City team-mate Mario Balotelli, who left Nice while Vieira was the boss in 2019.

Vieira later admitted the controversial Italian striker was someone he found “difficult to work with”.

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Ambrose Ijeh

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Video: Pulisic Does Trump Dance In USA 4-2 Jamaica

Published

1 day ago

November 20, 2024

Ambrose Ijeh

Video: Pulisic Does Trump Dance In USA 4-2 Jamaica

AC Milan forward Christian Pulisic is the latest high-profile American athlete to pull out the ‘Donald Trump dance’ while celebrating his opening goal in the USA’s 4-2 victory over Jamaica in the CONCACAF Nations League quarter-finals on Monday night.

The 26-year-old opened the scoring in the second leg of the USMNT’s Nations League quarter0fianl against Jamaica. Juventus’s Timothy Weah netted the hosts’ fourth goal of the game, while Weston McKEnnie and Yunus Musah also lined up as starters.

Pulisic scored after 13 minutes of action, and opted to pull out the viral dance moves of US President-elect Trump during his celebration.

“It’s not a political dance, it was just for fun. I saw a bunch of people do it and I thought it was funny, so I enjoyed it,” the goalscorer said in his post-match interview.