Lionel Messi breaks personal Guinness World Record with six species named in his honour: All the bugs, animals, fossils, fungi, and crops
A sage plant found within the Peruvian Andes has turn into the sixth species named after Lionel Messi, extending a report already shared by a lizard, spider, fossil brachiopod, condor and fungus. The newly described Salvia messii carries Argentina’s acquainted blue and white colors in its flowers, however the tribute comes with a troubling element: researchers have categorised the plant as endangered.
A brand new plant carries Messi’s identify into the Andes
Salvia messii is a sage species endemic to the Andes of central and southern Peru, the place it grows on rocky, arid slopes between 2,000 and a pair of,400 metres above sea degree. It belongs to the mint household, Lamiaceae, which incorporates crops related to antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties.The plant can develop to roughly 1.5 metres tall, with pale blue and white flowers that resemble Argentina’s nationwide colors. Those colors make the selection of namesake particularly becoming for a footballer who represented his nation throughout a profession spanning greater than 20 years.The identify follows botanical naming conventions, which regularly adapt an individual’s surname into Latin. The ending “i” signifies possession, so Salvia messii may be understood as “Messi’s sage”.
Lionel Messi evokes the identify of an endangered Peruvian plant whose blue-and-white flowers resemble Argentina’s nationwide colors/ Image: AP, X
The species was described by researchers led by Paul Gonzales of the Natural History Museum on the National University of San Marcos, alongside Argentine researcher Rolando Uria and biologist Jean Capcha-Ramos of Huarango Nature. Their research appeared within the October version of the botanical journal Phytotaxa.The plant’s restricted vary and endangered classification give the invention significance past its uncommon superstar namesake. Its identify could draw consideration to the species, however its survival relies on defending the mountain habitat the place it grows.
The sixth species added to Messi’s report
In May 2024, Guinness World Records recognised Messi because the footballer with probably the most species named after him, recording 5 on the time. Salvia messii now brings that complete to 6.
| Scientific identify | Species | Location or origin | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liolaemus messii | Iguanian lizard | Rosario de Lerma, Argentina | 2021 |
| Acanthogonatus messii | Burrowing spider | Argentine Patagonia | 2023 |
| Discinisca messi | Fossil brachiopod | Miocene-era Argentina | 2023 |
| Vultur messii | Fossil condor | Pliocene-era Argentina | 2023 |
| Cercopemyces messii | Fungus | Andean cloud forest, Salta Province, Argentina | 2024 |
| Salvia messii | Sage plant | Peruvian Andes | 2026 |
The names span residing animals, prehistoric fossils, fungi and now a flowering plant. The fossil condor and brachiopod additionally present that the honour is just not restricted to species alive immediately.Messi’s report is uncommon, though he isn’t the one footballer whose identify has entered scientific classification. Diego Maradona has been related to 4 named organisms, however one, the fairy wasp Anaphes maradonae, was later discovered to be the identical species as an earlier-named wasp and is subsequently now not thought of legitimate.
What the names say about Messi’s legacy
Messi’s identify has reached science by way of a collection of researchers selecting to recognise his affect, somewhat than by way of any single award or official marketing campaign. The newest instance connects his sporting identification immediately with Argentina’s colors, despite the fact that the plant itself grows throughout the border in Peru.The tribute additionally arrives after a exceptional overseas profession. Messi made his senior Argentina debut towards Hungary on 17 August 2005, briefly retired from overseas soccer in 2016, then returned to guide the group by way of its main successes.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring his facet���s third aim from the penalty spot throughout his last match for the nationwide group, a soccer pleasant towards Benin, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Oct.6, 2026. AP/PTI(AP10_08_2026_000008B)
He captained Argentina to Copa América titles in 2021 and 2024 and the 2022 World Cup triumph in Qatar. Messi has made 208 appearances and scored 126 objectives for Argentina, successful the Ballon d’Or eight occasions. He scored in Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Benin in his last overseas match earlier this month. Now 39, he continues his membership profession with Inter Miami and has additionally been nominated among the many 30 contenders for the 2026 Ballon d’Or.
Messi is just not the primary footballer honoured by science
The observe of naming newly described organisms after footballers goes again additional than Messi’s report. In December 2009, researchers named 12 newly described microcaddisfly species after members of Brazil’s 1958 World Cup-winning group, together with Pelé, whose identify was given to Neotrichia pelei.Maradona’s scientific namesakes embrace a fossil damselfly, a parasitic fluke and a sea snail, alongside the wasp later discovered to not be a definite species.For Messi, the brand new sage provides one other entry to a report already recognised by Guinness, whereas additionally drawing consideration to a plant whose future is much less safe than the footballer’s place within the sport’s historical past. The sixth namesake could also be a small botanical discovery, nevertheless it carries each a tribute and a reminder of the biodiversity researchers are nonetheless figuring out.
