Turkish couple names baby after Messi

ISTANBUL

Ali Umut Messi. AA photo

A couple in Turkey’s Adıyaman decided to name their baby boy after the star football player Lionel Messi, making the boy’s full name Ali Umut Messi.

The boy’s father, Rafet, is reportedly a huge football fan and avid supporter of Lionel Messi, whom he sees as a unique player in both talent and manners.

“I promised myself that I would name my child after a player that sets an example to the world both with his technique, his intelligence and his manners,” Rafet was quoted as saying by private broadcaster CNN Türk. “I’ve been following Messi since he came to Barcelona and he is the exact kind of player that I thought of.”

Family members received the name positively, with the child’s mother, Nurgül, showing no hesitation in naming her boy Messi.

Rafet hopes to see Ali Umut Messi grow up to be a football player, according to CNN Türk.