Lionel Messi, the little magician who turns 35 today (June 24), is often called ‘The Goat’, ‘The Magician’ and many other names, but to some he is ‘The Flea’. Almost every player in the world (the great) has a nickname, Cristiano Ronaldo is known as ‘El Bicho’ in Spain due to his physical fitness and leadership qualities. Similarly, Messi is also known in the country as ‘La Pulga’, which has a very interesting reason behind it.
‘La Pulga’, which means ‘the Flea’ in Spanish, is one of the most famous surnames of Leo Messi. According to Lakshya, it is believed that Messi’s elder brother used to call him by this name since childhood. It all started with ‘La Pulgita’ which means ‘little flea’ which later became ‘La Pulga’ (The Flea).
Happy birthday goat Happy Birthday La Pulga. Some people call him the little magician, I call him the greatest player of all time.
Celebrating you always brings mixed feelings but we’ll enjoy you for as long as we can get.
happy birthday lionel messi pic.twitter.com/DHEsaGSGdJ – bryte (@he_is_bryte) June 24, 2022
The seven-time Ballon d’Or holder was not the eldest child in the park as a child and his small appearance earned him the name. Notably, Messi had a developmental disorder which was treated after signing for FC Barcelona as a child and the club helped pay for his treatment.
the greatest
The most amazing creature to adorn football
greatest of all 10
Elegance
Brilliance
the mastermind
best of all greatest
Barcelona all time goalscorer
La Liga’s all-time goalscorer
la pulga
Happy 35th birthday #LionelMessi pic.twitter.com/yGj0kyOBMK – Chris (@Hemperor8) June 24, 2022
Some Spanish media also referred to the former Barca man as ‘La Pulga Atomica’, meaning ‘nuclear flea’, due to his quick pace and dribbling skills against defenders.