World Cup Pets: More than 600 Pets Named after World Cup Soccer Players
From superstars like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to one-name icons like Pelé and Marta, World Cup soccer players have inspired hundreds of unique pet names.
Our team at pet medical insurance provider Trupanion found more than 620 pets who share a name with famous World Cup players.
Pets Named after Famous Soccer / Futbol Players
More pets are named after David Beckham than any other past or present World Cup soccer player. Nearly 300 pets are named after the former English team captain whose ability to bend the ball was so famous it inspired movies.
Brazilian star Pelé has the second highest number of pets named after him followed by fellow Brazilian and Women’s World Cup star Marta.
Together, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have more than 70 pets named after them, with Neymar Jr., Mohamed Salah, Lothar Matthaus, Diego Maradona and Clint Dempsey rounding out the top 10.
| Pets named after World Cup soccer players | ||
|---|---|---|
Player | Pet Names | Team |
David Beckham | 285 | England |
Pelé | 154 | Brazil |
Marta (Marta Vieira da Silva) | 54 | Brazil |
Cristiano Ronaldo | 41 | Portugal |
Lionel Messi | 34 | Argentina |
Neymar Jr. | 12 | Brazil |
Mohamed Salah | 10 | Egypt |
Lothar Matthaus | 8 | Germany |
Diego Maradona | 4 | Argentina |
Clint Dempsey | 4 | USA |
Other famous soccer players who have inspired pet names include:
- Mia Hamm
- Erling Haaland
- Alexi Lalas
- Hope Solo
- Megan Rapinoe
- Ronaldinho
- Zinedine Zidane
- Kylian Mbappe
- Harry Kane
Pet Names Inspired by Soccer /Futbol Terms
World Cup players aren’t the only things that have inspired some soccer-related pet names.
More than 5,200 pets share a name with Canada’s World Cup mascot Maple the Moose. Nearly 300 pets are named after soccer positions. And while we didn’t find any pets named futbol, we did find six named Soccer and one named Offsides.
| Soccer inspired pet names | ||
|---|---|---|
Soccer term | Pets | |
Maple (Canada's mascot) | 5,228 | |
Boots | 1,779 | |
Kit | 459 | |
Keeper | 171 | |
Striker | 132 | |
Clutch (USA mascot) | 89 | |
Pitch | 28 | |
Friendly | 14 | |
Kick/Kicks | 11 | |
Soccer | 6 | |
Sweeper | 6 | |
Goalie | 4 | |
Match | 4 | |
Azzuri (Italian team nickname) | 2 | |
Header | 1 | |
Offsides | 1 | |
About Trupanion
Trupanion is a leader in medical insurance for cats and dogs throughout the United States, Canada, and certain countries in Continental Europe with over 1,000,000 pets currently enrolled. For over two decades, Trupanion has given pet owners peace of mind so they can focus on their pet's recovery, not financial stress. Trupanion is committed to providing pet parents with the highest value in pet medical insurance with unlimited payouts for the life of their pets. With its patented process, Trupanion is the only North American provider with the technology to pay veterinarians directly in seconds at the time of checkout. Trupanion is listed on NASDAQ under the symbol "TRUP". The company was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Seattle, WA. Trupanion policies are issued, in the United States, by its wholly-owned insurance entity American Pet Insurance Company and, in Canada, by Accelerant Insurance Company of Canada. Policies are sold and administered in Canada by Canada Pet Health Insurance Services, Inc. dba Trupanion 309-1277 Lynn Valley Road, North Vancouver, BC V7J 0A2 and in the United States by Trupanion Managers USA, Inc. (CA license No. 0G22803, NPN 9588590). Canada Pet Health Insurance Services, Inc. is a registered damage insurance agency and claims adjuster in Quebec #603927. For more information, please visit Trupanion.com.
