Since the internet is buzzing with talk of Messi and Ronaldo, especially as the World Cup tournament just ended, I guess I’m going to jump on the trend. Yeah, I watched the final last night. There was so much controversy around it that I had to bow to pressure and watch the damn game, and it was quite the experience. I could literally feel the tension seeping out through the screen as the Spaniards tried so hard to win the game while their Argentinian counterparts tried so hard to run around after them.
Of course, one person who was the most watched on TV was Messi. It was as if everyone was expecting the entire world from him, forgetting that he’s only a human like the rest of us. Then the same people turned around to drag him online when he failed to clinch the World Cup. It’s been a crazy 24 hours, I must say.
Watching Messi play yesterday, I noticed something about the legend. And that’s his name; Messi. It’s simple, and it’s one word, and it’s a name that he has come to own. I remember back in the days when he was called Lionel Messi. Yeah, his name is still Lionel Messi, but back then, he had the entire thing written on his jersey. And when fans talked about him, they didn’t speak of him as Messi; they called him Lionel Messi. Not sure anymore, but I think there was a time he then changed it to L. Messi. Before he then simply went by just Messi. And we just went along.
The same thing with Ronaldo. When he came out, he was known as C. Ronaldo, and that was how we referred to him. We all knew that the C stood for Christiano, but we called him C. Ronaldo all the same. And when he took the C off his jersey, writing only Ronaldo, we did the same. And that’s how people address him now. Just Ronaldo.
These two men I’ve mentioned have two of the most unique names I’ve ever come across, because even in their countries, the names weren’t too popular. Yet, as adults, they’ve owned the names. You can only think of them when you hear them, even though now, other people are bearing the names as well. People who bear the name now were probably given the name as a tribute to the stars themselves. If you come across anyone named Ronaldo or Messi and they’re in their early twenties and younger, know that their parents were huge fans of the football stars. E no pass like that.
We see people all the time own things. People carve a niche for themselves into the walls of history, ensuring that they’re never forgotten. And one way that is done is by cementing your name in such a way that no matter who bears it after you’re gone, it will always evoke your memory. And this is another thing people consider when picking names for their kids. The kind of emotions the name will evoke when people hear it.
People actually care what names represent; that’s why no one would name their child Hitler today. Hell, it’s even illegal in some countries of the world, and doing so could earn you an investigation by the authorities. No one in their right mind would name their daughter Jezebel or name their son after someone that’s hated.
This is what happens when you own our name so that no matter where it’s heard, people will think of you first. This is what Messi and Ronaldo have achieved, and those two names will belong to only them for a very long time to come. Anyone else who chooses to bear them will only be lending it.
So now, I ask you, what is your name? Will you be the first thing people think of when they hear it? Think about it!
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