Lionel Messi continues to receive tributes around the world, even beyond football. A new plant species, discovered in the Peruvian Andes, has been named “Salvia messi” in honour of the Argentina captain. What makes this tribute even more meaningful is the colour of the flowers, white and sky blue, which recalls the Argentina national team shirt.
Lionel Messi’s name seems to know no borders. The Argentine legend, who has written the history of world football, will now also be present in the plant world.
A new species, discovered in the Andes of Peru, has been named “Salvia messi” in honour of the star from Rosario. The choice of this name is no coincidence, as the researchers wanted to honour one of the greatest footballers of all time.
Another detail makes this dedication even more special: the flowers of the plant have white and sky-blue shades, colours that immediately bring to mind the shirt of the Argentina national team, with which Messi won the World Cup in 2022.
The discovery was documented by researchers Paul González, Rolando Uria and Jean Capcha-Ramos, while the scientific paper was published on 2 October 2026 in the journal Phytotaxa.
For Messi, this is not the first tribute of this kind. According to reports, “Salvia messi” is the sixth biological species to be named after the Argentine champion, placing him in a special position in this regard as well.