Leonel Adrián Messi, a resident of Río Tercero, Argentina, has been living through a curious and unavoidable situation for years. Every time he says his name, many people think he is joking, because he has the same name as the captain of the Argentine national team, Lionel Messi, albeit with a small difference in spelling.
In an interview with Cadena 3, he said that the mix-ups occur during paperwork, conversations, and formal introductions. His surname also has a football-related history in the family, as his father was the top scorer in Río Tercero’s local league.
Leonel explained that he never tried to contact the footballer, but he would like to tell him about the anecdotes he has experienced because of having that name. One of them happened when he worked as Secretary of Public Works and left provincial officials speechless when he introduced himself.