AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders has recently explained why he named his dog after eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi. The 26-year-old Dutchman had joined I Rossoneri from AZ Alkmaar in 2023 for a reported transfer price of €20 million.
The Argentine icon is widely considered one of the greatest players to have played the game. The La Masia graduate is the highest goalscorer in the history of European football with 704 goals and 303 assists in 853 games and currently plays for the MLS outfit Inter Miami. For Argentina, La Pulga has scored a whopping 112 goals and created a joint-record 58 more in 191 games.
In a March 2024 interview published by Sempremilan, Tijjani Reijnders revealed that he had a Pomsky, a cross between a Pomeranian and a Husky. Recently, the AC Milan man revealed why he named his dog Messi. He said:
“My dog’s name is Messi, when I was young I always said if I got a dog I would name him Messi, because for me [he] is the best player in the world. Then we decided we would get a dog, and the first thing I said to my wife is if we got a dog we would name him Messi.”
