Lionel Messi's incoming third child Ciro sounds like Cristiano Ronaldo in Mandarin

By James Kilpatrick
published

Messi announced his third son will be called Ciro, which phonetically sounds like 'Kelisidiyanuo Luonaerduo' in standard Chinese - startlingly similar to how CR7's name translates into Mandarin.

Chinese fans of Messi have responded to Wednesday's announcement of their idol's next child's name on Instagram with confusion. Specifically, because Messi's third child will share the same Chinese name as Cristiano Ronaldo.

However, not all hope is lost as there is another way Ciro may be pronounced there. The Italian pronunciation of Ciro (think Ciro Immobile) has given rise to the phonetic translation of Qiluo which obviously would sound more appealing to the Messi supporters in China.

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James Kilpatrick