A couple have named their new-born son Messi after Argentina's soccer captain, having been granted permission to circumvent a 45-year-old law banning the use of last names as first names.

Barcelona striker Lionel Messi may be one of the highest-profile figures in Argentina but due to a 1969 statute in the South American country, proud father Daniel Varela had to petition city authorities to be granted an exception to the law.

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