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What your favourite soccer stars named their children

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Argentine footballer, Lionel Messi with his wife, Antonella Roccuzzo and sons, Thiago, Mateo and Ciro. (antoroccuzzo88)
Argentine footballer, Lionel Messi with his wife, Antonella Roccuzzo and sons, Thiago, Mateo and Ciro. (antoroccuzzo88)

Don't be surprised if in 7 years' time there are a few kids named after soccer stars in Grade 1.

In just 12 months, the name Mateo – Lionel Messi's son's name – climbed from 14th to 9th most popular baby name among Spanish parents. It even climbed to popularity in South Africa through Cape Town City’s 7-year-old “mascot” and social media sensation, Mateo Manousakis.

So if you're feeling the soccer fever, here are some great names of the World Cup stars, and what they named their own children.

Andrés Iniesta (M)

Meaning: Manly, brave
Origin: Spanish

The Spanish central midfielder who played for Barcelona from 2001 to 2018. He has played over 400 matches for the La Liga team and captained the team for three seasons. On 24 May 2018, he announced that he would be leaving the club to join Japanese club, Vissel Kobe in the coming season on a three-year contract. 

Children: 

Paolo (M)
Meaning: Small
Origin: Italian

Valeria (F)
Meaning: Strength, health
Origin: Latin

Pirámide de la felicidad!!! #sorpresadepapi #elmasmejor #avapas #siena??

A post shared by Anna (@annaortiz34) on

Ángel Di María (M)

Meaning: Angel
Origin: Spanish

Argentine attacking midfielder who currently plays for Ligue 1 team, Paris Saint-Germain. He previously played for Real Madrid and Manchester United. 

*fun fact: Ángel's full name means Angel of Mary

Children:

Mia (F)
Meaning: Mine
Origin: Italian; Scandinavian short form of Maria

Pia (F)
Meaning: From Mount Olympus
Origin: Latin

Las extraño muchísimo ??. Las amo ??.

A post shared by Ángel Di María (@angeldimariajm) on

Antoine Griezmann (M)

Meaning: Priceless one
Origin: French variation of Anthony

French forward who plays for La Liga team, Atlético Madrid. He ranks fourth among UEFA European Championship goalscorers by total six goals scored. 

Children:

Mia (F)
Meaning: Mine
Origin: Italian

Allez les bleus ????????

A post shared by Antoine Griezmann (@antogriezmann) on

Also read: "We're not reconciling our youth with sport, we're dividing them"

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (M)

Meaning: follower of Christ
Origin: Italian and Portuguese variation of Christian

Portuguese forward who plays for La Liga team, Real Madrid. He's considered one of the best football players of all time. He holds the records for most official goals scored in Europe's top-five leagues with 395 goals. 

*Fun fact: his second name was given to him because he was named after Ronald Regan, his parents thought it was a strong name. The name means "ruler's counselor".

Children:

Cristiano Ronaldo Jnr (M)

Mateo (M)
Meaning: Gift of God 
Origin: Spanish variation of Matthew

Alana (F)
Meaning: Precious
Origin: Gaelic

Eva (F)
Meaning: Life
Origin: Latin form of Eve 

Eden Hazard (M)

Meaning: Place of pleasure, delight
Origin: Hebrew

Belgian attacking midfielder who plays for EPL team, Chelsea. He's the oldest of four brothers, two of which play professional football as well. 

Children:

Yannis (M)
Meaning: God is gracious
Origin: Greek variation of John

Leo (M)
Meaning: Lion
Origin: Latin

Samy (M)
Meaning: Told by God
Origin: French variantion of Samuel 

Also read: These are the baby names that are set to be huge in 2018

Francisco Alarcón Suárez

Meaning: Free man
Origin: Spanish and Portuguese variation of Francis

Spanish midfielder who plays for La Liga team, Real Madrid. He's commonly known as 'Isco'. 

Children:

Franciso Jnr (M)

De tal palo tal astilla 2??2??

A post shared by Isco Alarcon Suarez (@iscoalarcon) on

Harry Kane

Meaning: Estate ruler
Origin: Diminutive of Henry

English striker who plays for Tottenham Hotspur, he currently captains the English National Team.

Children:

Ivy (F)
Meaning: Faithfulness
Origin: English

Jakub Blaszczykowski (M)

Meaning: Supplanter
Origin: Polish variation of Jacob

Polish midfielder who plays for Bundesliga team, Vlf Wolfsburg. With 97 appearances he is the third-most capped player for Poland.

*Fun fact: Fans and friends refer to him as 'Kuba'.

Children:

Oliwia (F)
Meaning: Olive tree
Origin: Polish variation of Olivia

Lena (F)
Meaning: Light
Origin: Hebrew

Also read: Stormi and 100 other baby names inspired by nature

James Rodríguez (M)

Meaning: Supplanter
Origin: English variation of Jacob

Colombian midfielder who is currently on loan from Real Madrid to Bundesliga club, Bayern Munich. 

Children:

Salomé (F)
Meaning: Peace, tranquil
Origin: Hebrew

La mejor compañía del mundo. ??

A post shared by James Rodríguez (@jamesrodriguez10) on

John Obi Mikel (M)

Meaning: God is gracious
Origin: Hebrew

Nigerian midfielder who currently plays for Chinese club Tianjin Teda FC. 

Children:

Mia (F)
Meaning: Mine
Origin: Italian; Scandinavian short form of Maria

Eva (F)
Meaning: Life
Origin: Latin form of Eve, Hebrew

With my firecrackers, Mims and Pooh2 posing non stop ♥?

A post shared by Mikel Obi (@mikel_john_obi) on

Kepler Laveran de Lima Ferreira (Pepe)

Meaning: Cap maker
Origin: German

Portuguese defender who currently plays for Turkish club team, Besiktas. He and the Portuguese who given an Order of Merit (Portuguese equivalent of bing knighted) after winning the 2016 UEFA European Championship. 

Children:

Emily (F)
Meaning: Rival
Origin: Feminine variation of Emil, Latin

Angeli (F)
Meaning: Angel
Origin: Latin

Also read: Henry Charles Albert David, Rachel Meghan and more royal baby names!

Kevin de Bruyne

Meaning: Handsome
Origin: Irish

Belgian midfielder who currently plays for Manchester City FC. He was ranked the fourth-best footballer in the world by The Guardian in 2017.

Children:

Mason (M)
Meaning: Worker in stone
Origin: English

A walk in the park @lacroixmichele

A post shared by Kevin De Bruyne (@kevindebruyne) on

Lionel Messi (M)

Meaning: Young lion
Origin: Latin

Argentine forward who plays for La Liga team, Barcelona, where he has spent his entire football career. He is regarded is one of the best players of all time. He has won five Ballon d'Or awards, four of which he won consecutively.

Children:

Thiago (M)
Meaning: Supplanter
Origin: Diminutive of Santiago, Spanish

Mateo (M)
Meaning: Gift of God 
Origin: Spanish variation of Matthew

Ciro (M)
Meaning: Sun or throne
Origin: Italian variation of Cyrus

Felices Pascuas??????

A post shared by AntoRoccuzzo88 (@antoroccuzzo88) on

Luka Modric (M)

Meaning: Man from Lucania
Origin: Italian variation of Luke and Lucas

Croatian midfielder who plays for La Liga team, Real Madrid. 

Children:

Ivana (F)
Meaning: God is gracious
Origin: Feminine variation of Ivan, Russian

Ema (F)
Meaning: Beloved
Origin: Romanian

Sofia (F)
Meaning: Wisdom
Origin: Greek

Merry Christmas!??????????

A post shared by Luka Modric (@lukamodric10) on

Lukasz Piszczek

Meaning: Man from Lucania
Origin: Polish variation of Luke and Lucas

Polish defender who plays for Bundesliga team, Borussia Dortmund. 

Children:

Sara (F)
Meaning: Princess
Origin: Hebrew

Also read: From Nelson to Oprah: Iconic heroes to inspire your next baby's name

Marcelo Vieira (M)

Meaning: Young warrior
Origin: Latin

Brazilian defender who plays for La Liga team, Real Madrid. He is the Brazilian national team's current captain. 

Children:

Enzo (M)
Meaning: Estate ruler
Origin: Italian variation of Henry, German

Liam (M)
Meaning: Resolute protection
Origin: Irish short form of William

Feliz día papá feliz????‍??‍?? @marcelotwelve #FelizDíaDelPadre

A post shared by Actress (@claricealves) on

Neymar Júnior

Meaning: unknown
Origin: Brazilian

Brazilian forward who plays for Ligue 1 team, Paris Saint-Germain. He's the most expensive Association Football transfer; PSG paid Barcelona £198 million for him to join their team in 2017.

Children:

David (M)
Meaning: Beloved
Origin: Hebrew

??

A post shared by Nj ???? ?? neymarjr (@neymarjr) on

Olivier Giroud (M)

Meaning: Olive tree
Origin: French

French forward who plays for English club team, Chelsea FC. He previously played for Arsenal FC where he won the FA Cup with the team in 2014, 2015 and 2017, and totaled 105 goals in 253 games for the club.

Children:

Jade (F)
Meaning: Stone of the side
Origin: Spanish

Evan (M)
Meaning: The Lord is gracious
Origin: Welsh variation of John

Radamel Falcao 

Meaning: Unknown
Origin: Spanish

Colombian striker who plays for Ligue 1 team, AS Monaco FC. Colombian national teams’s all-time leading goal scorer.

Children:

Dominique (F)
Meaning: Belonging to a lord
Origin: French

Desirée (F)
Meaning: Desired, wished
Origin: French

Annette (F)
Meaning: The Lord has favoured me
Origin: French

Enamoradas de vos ??

A post shared by Lorelei Tarón (@loreleitaron) on

Raheem Sterling (M)

Meaning: Empathetic, merciful
Origin: Arabic

English attacking midfielder who plays for Premier League team, Manchester City FC. His 2015 transfer to Manchester City was worth £49 million, this is the highest transfer fee ever paid for an English player.

Children:

Melody (F)
Meaning: Song
Origin: Greek

Thiago (M)
Meaning: Supplanter
Origin: Diminutive of Santiago, Spanish

Also read: From Aisha to Khalid and Walid: 200 Arabic baby names and meanings

Sterling JR

A post shared by Raheem Sterling x ?? (@sterling7) on

Robert Lewandowski (M)

Meaning: Bright, fame
Origin: German

Polish captain and forward, he plays for Bundesliga team, Bayern Munich. 

Children:

Klara (F)
Meaning: Bright, clear
Origin: Slavic variation of Clara, Latin

Happy 1st Birthday My Love My Princess ????

A post shared by Robert Lewandowski (@_rl9) on

Sergio Agüero (M)

Meaning: Servant, vassal, soldier
Origin: From the Roman clan name Sergius

Argentine striker who plays for Manchester City FC. He was previously married to football legend, Diego Maradona's daughter. The two separated in 2012.  Agüero shares a close friendship with Lionel Messi, who even wrote the forward to his autobiography, Born to Rise

Children:

Benjamin (M)

Meaning: Son of the right hand
Origin: Hebrew  

Ben ??

A post shared by Sergio Leonel Agüero (@10aguerosergiokun) on

Sergio Ramos (M)

Meaning: Servant, vassal, soldier
Origin: From the Roman clan name Sergius

Spanish defender who plays for La Liga team, Real Madrid. He is regarded as one of the best defenders in the world. He has been named La Liga's Best Defender a record four times, he also holds the record for the most red cards shown to a Real Madrid player, 24. 

Children:

Sergio Ramos Jnr (M)

Marco (M)
Meaning: Warlike
Origin: Spanish

Alejandro (M)
Meaning: Defending man
Origin: Spanish

?????????? @sergioramos, #sergiojr, #marco, #alejandro ??@carlosvillarejo

A post shared by Pilar Rubio (@pilarrubio_oficial) on

Also read: Before you name your baby, consider this…

Thiago Silva (M)

Meaning: Supplanter
Origin: Diminutive of Santiago, Spanish

Brazilian defender, he currently plays for Ligue 1 team, Paris Saint-Germain. 

Children:

Isago (M)
Meaning: Unknown
Origin: Brazilian

Iago (M)
Meaning: Supplanter
Origin: Welsh variation of James and Jacob

Toni Kroos (U)

Meaning: Priceless one
Origin: Diminutive of Anthony

German midfielder who plays for La Liga team, Real Madrid. Prior to join the 13 time UEFA Champions League team, Kroos was the youngest player to represent German club team, Bayern Munich. 

Children:

Leon (M)
Meaning: Lion
Origin: Greek

Amelie (F)
Meaning: Work
Origin: French

Also read: Eric and 29 other strong baby names for boys

Vincent Kompany (M)

Meaning: Conquering
Oriigin: Latin

Belgian footballer and captain to Premier League team, Manchester City FC. In December 2017, he graduated from Alliance Manchester Business School with a Master's in Business Administration.

Children:

Kai (U)
Meaning: Sea
Origin: Hawaiian

Sienna (F)
Meaning: Reddish brown
Origin: Italian

Caleb (M)
Meaning: Devotion to God
Origin: Hebrew

Which teams are you cheering on this World Cup? Who is your favourite soccer star? Email us at chatback@parent24.com and we may publish your comments.

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