“I had to prove it to them by showing my identity card” – Lionel Messi’s namesake makes interesting revelation on growing up with PSG superstar’s tag
Lionel Messi's namesake has revealed what it was like to grow up with the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar's tag.
PSG forward Lionel Messi is one of the most popular personalities in the world. Regardless of one's interest in football, they are likely to be aware of the name of the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner.
However, not far from Paris is another Lionel Messi, who currently plies his trade for Toulouse Rodeo. At 26 years of age, the Cameroonian has been living as the PSG superstar's namesake for most of his life.
MEET Lionel Messi [Yes, his real name is Lionel Messi from Cameroon]. He is 16 & he has signed for French side Angers http://t.co/h6qAeCOS
Lionel Messi Nyamsi has now lifted the lid on how it is to live with the Argentina international's tag. Speaking to French sports daily L'Equipe, the defender revealed that he had to constantly pull out his identity card to prove his name to his peers. He said:
"In college, people came to see me at recess: 'Your name is really Lionel Messi? You're lying. It's not possible, you've changed your name!' I had to prove it to them by showing them my identity card."
Lionel Messi Nyamsi also explained how his friends would make bets using his name. He said:
“I returned their change afterwards, all the same. Today, I stopped all that, but not my friends, who continue. We get somewhere, they say to people: 'Do you know that my friend is Lionel Messi? We bet 20 euros?' I take out my ID card again and my friends win a ticket."
Despite having the same name as the Barcelona great, Lionel Messi Nyamsi has not had similar levels of success. He currently earns €400-per-month at Toulouse Rodeo and has to do other jobs to make ends meet.
PSG star Lionel Messi's surname is common in Cameroon
PSG superstar Lionel Messi was just seven-years-old when his namesake Lionel Messi Nyamsi was born. It is easy to come to the conclusion that the Cameroonian was not named after the forward.
In fact, the surname 'Messi' appears to be common in Cameroon. In Lionel Messi Nyamsi's case, he acquired the surname from his maternal grandfather.
Former Kerala Blasters star Raphael Messi Bouli is another example of a Cameroonian with the same surname as PSG's Lionel Messi. The forward previously told Goal:
"For other people, when they hear 'Messi', it is about the best player in the world. For me, it is my family name. In Cameroon, many people have this name, you will see many Messis there. For me it is normal. For others, it is not normal. They always expect more, hearing the name 'Messi'."
🗣️ Raphael Messi Bouli (Kerala Blasters) "For other people, when they hear 'Messi', it is about the best player in the world. For me, it is my family name. In Cameroon, many people have this name, you will see many Messis there." [goal]
While it is an interesting coincidence to have the same name as the PSG superstar, it does come with added pressure as seen in Lionel Messi Nyamsi's case.