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For even the most famous footballers, their names precede their popularity. These stars might have travelled and played in various regions of the world, but their names arrive at places that even they have not heard of. These names rule the heart of their fans, adorn the walls of cities and rooms with equal passion and are chanted as lovingly in stadiums as in the smallest rooms in the most remote corners of the world. However, not everyone knows the full names of many of the current football superstars.
Today, we take a look at the full names of 10 football superstars who have gained unimaginable popularity in the beautiful game. Their names regularly grab the headlines of every leading daily, however, their full names are still unknown to many of their fans.
#10 Gareth Bale
The Welsh Speedster was born on 16th July 1989 in Cardiff to Frank Bale, a School Caretaker and Debbie Bale, an Operations Manager. As is the custom in Wales, Gareth Bale carries his father's name as a part of his name and his full name is Gareth Frank Bale. The nephew of the former Cardiff City Footballer Chris Pike, Bale caught the attention of Southampton scouts when he was 9 years old. He debuted for Southampton at the age of 16 years and 275 days in April 2006. In 2007 Bale joined Tottenham and with time changed his playing position from left back to left winger and gathered worldwide attention. By 2013, Real Madrid had come calling, signing him for a world record transfer at that time and the Welshman is still an integral part of the Real Madrid team right now.
He has millions of followers all around the world, but his full name might not be known to all.
#9 Luis Suarez
Luis Suarez lit up the El Clasico this season, firing Barcelona to a memorable win and getting a hat-trick himself. The Uruguayan has been in fine form so far this season and even though he has never been shy of controversies, Suarez has been one of the top strikers in the world for quite a few years now.
The Uruguayan was born on 24th January 1987 and started his career at Nacional in Uruguay, before successful stints with Ajax, Liverpool saw him finally land in Barcelona. He is Uruguay's all-time leading goal scorer and has been in the news for both his abilities with the ball as well as his biting tendencies and disciplinary issues. However, not everyone knows that Luis Suarez's full name is Luis Alberto Suarez Diaz and he was named in accordance with Spanish naming customs. His given name is Luis Alberto, Suarez is his Father's Surname and Diaz is his mother's surname.
#8 David de Gea
David De Gea was born on 7th November 1990 in Madrid, to Jose, a former goalkeeper and Marivi, a housekeeper. Even though he was brilliant in academics, De Gea followed his father's footsteps, who was also his inspiration and became a goalkeeper. He joined Atletico Madrid at the age of 13 and saw his stock rise with the years until he joined Manchester United in the summer of 2011. He has since grown into one of the best goalkeepers in the world and has been the best player at United for a couple of seasons now.
David De Gea Quintana was named according to the Spanish naming customs; his paternal family name is De Gea, while his maternal family name is Quintana.
#7 Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah was so obsessed with football as a child that his parents were worried. He wasn't good in academics and no matter how hard he tried, his scores did not improve. When he was not playing football, he was watching the beautiful game on television and as a result, his parents were deeply concerned. They shouldn't have been, because Salah's obsession and passion would ultimately gift him a good life.
The Egyptian has achieved such popularity and success in the last couple of years that his name has reached almost every corner of the globe. When Egypt's most famous face was born on 15th June 1992, to middle-class parents, he was named Mohamed Salah Ghaly, a fact that is not known to all.
#6 Eden Hazard
Eden Hazard has football in his blood, literally. His father, Thierry, was a defensive midfielder, while his mother, Carine, was a striker. Eden was born on 7th January 1991, in La Louviere and joined Lille as a 16-year-old. His expertise with the ball soon made the news and a lot of clubs were interested in signing the teenager, who preferred to stay with the Ligue 1 side. However, he finally moved to Chelsea in the summer of 2012, where he has established himself as the best player in the club and also one of the best in the world right now.
Even though he is known all over the world as Eden Hazard, the Belgian maestro's full name is Eden Michael Hazard.
#5 Paulo Dybala
The rising star of world football has lit up the Serie A in the last couple of seasons and has even managed to hold his own with the inclusion of new stars in the team this season. Paulo Dybala has been growing with leaps and bounds over the past few years and has drawn comparisons with Messi due to their similar style of play.
The Argentinean was born to Adolfo Dybala and Alicia de Dybala on 15th November 1993, who named him Paulo Bruno Exequiel Dybala. His parents have their roots in Italy and he was born and raised in a middle-class environment, but with grit, talent and determination, Paulo Dybala has managed to become one of the brightest talents in football. To complete a full circle of life, he obtained his Italian Citizenship in 2012.
#4 Neymar Júnior
The talented Brazilian was born to Neymar Santos Senior and Nadine da Silva. He inherited his father's name, who was also a footballer and began to develop under his father's guidance. He was born on 5th February 1992 and joined Santos at the age of 11. He generated a lot of attention by his football abilities and attractive playing style at the club, which saw Barcelona come calling in 2013. He has since moved to PSG at the start of last season and is already one of the best players in the World right now.
Neymar was named Neymar da Silva Santos Junior at birth, in accordance with Portuguese naming customs. His maternal family name is da Silva, while his paternal family name is Santos.
#3 Kylian Mbappé
The world's most talented teenager in football was born on 20th December 1998, to Wilfred Mbappé and Fayza Lamari. His father, who is from Cameroon, is a football coach by profession and also acts as his agent. His mother is a former handball player and is of Algerian Origin. He joined Monaco as a teenager and developed in their academy while generating great interest from many other clubs around Europe. He ultimately joined PSG on loan ahead of the 2017/18 season.
The 2018 World Cup winner was an integral part of the French team and won the FIFA World Cup Best Young Player Award, which means that every football fan in the world would have heard of him. However, not everyone knows his full name - the French teenager is actually named Kylian Mbappé Lottin.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo
Contrary to the popular belief, the Portuguese were not named after the Brazilian legend; his parents selected his second given name "Ronaldo" after the then United States President, Ronald Reagan. Ronaldo was born to Jose Dinis Aveiro and Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro. His father was a gardener with the Municipality and also worked as a part-time Kit-man, while his mother was a cook. Ronaldo started from humble beginnings, joining Sporting CP as a 12-year-old, before catching the eye of Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. He joined the Premier League giants in the summer of 2003 and was groomed into the best in the World by Sir Alex. Ronaldo later moved on to Real Madrid and is currently a part of the Juventus team in Serie A.
The Portuguese has ensured that his name is known to almost every sports fan in the world and has won a cabinet full of trophies in his career. Cristiano Ronaldo was named as per the Portuguese naming customs at birth, which means he received his mother's family name "Santos" and his father's family name "Aveiro". His full name is Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro.
#1 Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi is a name that is synonymous with magic. His popularity is unmatched both in the world of football and off it and there's an inherent charm about him that entices every romantic in the world. A humble, quiet and withdrawn personality, who never boasts of himself, Messi is a true flag bearer of the sportsman spirit. He doesn't just score goals, he creates them, he binds his team together and churns up the impossible on the field.
Messi was born on 24th June 1987 to Jorge Messi and Celia Cuccittini. His father was a steel factory manager, while his mother worked in a magnet manufacturing workshop. Messi's first gained recognition as a part of "The Machine of 97", the group from Newell's Own Boys who lost just 1 game in 4 years. He then joined Barcelona as a 13-year-old and the rest is history.
The Argentine Genius is of Italian and Spanish roots from his father's side, while his Mother's roots are in Italy. He was named as per Spanish naming customs, where he received his Father' family name "Messi" and his Mother's family name "Cuccittini". His full name is Lionel Messi Cuccittini, but we all know and love him as Lionel Messi.
