🚨🚨 Lionel Messi has had a newly-discovered plant species named in his honour. An academic study has been published on a distinctive new plant species endemic to the Andes mountain range of central and southern Peru, which has been named after the 39-year-old former Argentina international. The species, which has been classified as endangered, has been named Salvia messii after the iconic football player. The plant's light blue and white flowers are similar in colour to Argentina's national shirt.
Bunga tumbuhan Salvia messii berwarna biru muda dan putih, mirip dengan warna seragam Timnas Argentina. Spesies ini diklasifikasi sebagai spesies yang terancam punah.
Messi menambah daftar pesepakbola yang namanya diabadikan dalam dunia tumbuhan dan hewan. Sebelumnya ada kiper Tanjung Verde Vozinha yang dijadikan nama spesies moluska laut baru oleh peneliti Spanyol Jesus Ortea, serta eks kiper Real Madrid Keylor Navas yang namanya diabadikan dalam spesies siput laut kecil pada tahun 2019.
