In Peru, numerous newborns are being named after emerging talents such as Norway’s Erling Haaland, with names influenced by legendary players like Lionel Messi, Brazil’s Neymar, and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo each having around 30,000 registrations, according to Ivan Torres, a spokesperson for Peru’s civil registry RENIEC, who spoke to Panamericana TV last week.
“Haaland is now Peruvian too,” Torres remarked, mentioning one newborn named “Mundial,” inspired by the Spanish term for the World Cup. Peru, however, did not qualify for the event.
Many Latin Americans whose teams either failed to compete or were eliminated have hesitated to support Argentina — often perceived as overly Eurocentric — instead rallying around the Norwegian team, whose “Viking row” and Haaland-led progress to the quarter-finals have garnered them a multitude of new supporters.
In Mexico, which co-hosted the World Cup alongside the U.S. and Canada, a viral image of a birth certificate featured a baby girl named Quiñona Ysisidra Morita Haaland Guevara, honoring Mexican stars Julián Quiñones and Gilberto Mora, in addition to the Norwegian striker.
Ysisidra plays on “Y si sí?”, meaning “What if?”, the joyful chant from Mexican fans until their elimination by England in the last 16.
Mexico’s governance secretariat has not yet confirmed the veracity of the birth certificate.
In Argentina, the names Enzo, Emiliano, and Lionel were the most popular for boys in Salta province the week prior to the final, local authorities noted, attributing this spike to the “World Cup phenomenon.”
Argentina’s World Cup squad, set to play in Sunday’s final, features midfielder Enzo Fernandez, goalkeeper Emiliano “Dibu” Martinez, and team captain Messi.
Fabiola Molina, host of the Mexico City podcast “Sin manual para padres” (“No manual for parents”), shared with Reuters that this naming trend has historical roots across Latin America dating back to Diego Maradona’s famous “Hand of God” goal against England in 1986.
“Years ago, during the Backstreet Boys’ fame, many parents named their sons Kevin and Brian, leading to common names like Brian Gonzalez in countries such as Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina,” she explained.
“While it’s amusing, it may also be detrimental for children when they grow older,” she warned. “Just because your name is Messi or Lionel, it doesn’t guarantee you’ll become a great soccer player — destiny doesn’t work that way.”
