LIONEL MESSI finally got to say Hello to his namesake as the football legend linked up with pop icon Lionel Richie.
The Argentina star was named after crooner Richie by his mother.
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Celia Cuccittini is a major fan of the ‘Dancing on the Ceiling’ hitmaker.
And she decided to name son Messi in his honour.
Amazingly, the pair had never met each other before.
But that changed when the pair linked up for the first time on Friday night.
Richie posted several photos to social media showing him shaking hands with Messi at an event.
The pair were all smiles as they exchanged pleasantries.
And Richie went online to express his delight at their interaction.
He said: “When Lionel meets Lionel!
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“His mother named him after me… and now here we are.
“Great meeting you after all these years.”
However, fans were less certain whether Messi really had been named after Richie.
One said: “Is this true?”
Another declared: “Where did this Messi lore come from?”
One noted: “Imagine being named after Lionel Richie.”
Another added: “Messi’s family recognise greatness.”
Richie had previously declared that Messi had indeed been named after him.
In 2014, the singer said: “(Us meeting) is gonna happen, because I’m quite honoured.
“They named him after me, how about that? I love it.”
Two years later, after Messi’s Argentina lost the Copa America final to Chile, Richie noted: “Yes, Lionel, just make it easy like Sunday morning. Don’t get all out of shape here.
“If I told you how many times I lost at the Grammies and it only made me do one thing – get better.
“So, I’m not even worried about my namesake – he’s going to be just fine.
“He’s a winner obviously. I’m sure he’s down right now but he’s a Lionel, he can’t go wrong.”
