Why I named my dog Messi – AC Milan star  

AC Milan midfielder, Tijjani Reijnders, has shared the reason behind naming his dog after Argentina football legend, Lionel Messi.

The 26-year-old Dutchman, who joined AC Milan from AZ Alkmaar in 2023 for a reported €20 million, said Messi had always been his idol.

Reijnders explained that he made the decision to name his dog Messi due to his admiration for the legendary player.

“My dog’s name is Messi, when I was young I always said if I got a dog I would name him Messi, because for me [he] is the best player in the world,” Reijnders said in an interview with All About Argentina.

“Then we decided we would get a dog, and the first thing I said to my wife is if we got a dog we would name him Messi.”

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Messi, who currently plays for Inter Miami in the US after an illustrious career at Barcelona, is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time.

He has won the Ballon d’Or record eight times and is the highest goalscorer in the history of European football, with 704 goals and 303 assists in 853 games. Additionally, he has scored 112 goals and assisted 58 in 191 matches in the US.

Reijnders’ dog is a Pomsky, a crossbreed between a Pomeranian and a Husky, as he had previously revealed in an interview with Sempremilan.

The midfielder’s deep admiration for Messi has now extended to his furry companion, making the dog’s name a tribute to the football icon.

Why I named my dog Messi – AC Milan star

Gakpo, Salah score as Liverpool beat Leicester, extend lead by 7 points

Leaders Liverpool strengthened their grip at the top of the Premier League after coming from behind to defeat struggling Leicester City and move seven points clear.

Leicester had lost five of their previous seven matches but stunned Anfield by taking the lead through Jordan Ayew’s sharp sixth-minute finish.

Liverpool endured a frustrating half as Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah hit the post and crossbar respectively before Cody Gakpo levelled right on the stroke of half-time with a lovely curling finish from the edge of the box.

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That lifted the hosts who took the lead for the first time just four minutes into the second half, Curtis Jones marking his 100th Premier League appearance by turning in Alexis Mac Allister’s cross.

Leicester, who dropped into the relegation zone after Wolves’ win over Manchester United earlier in the day, missed a golden opportunity to equalise when Patson Daka mis-kicked in front of goal before Mohamed Salah made sure of the points when he swept home the third goal – his 19th of the season.

While they are one point from safety after a third straight defeat, Liverpool are in a commanding position at the top, with a game in hand on the two teams immediately below them.

With Liverpool next in action on Sunday at West Ham (17:15 GMT), they have an opportunity to open up a 10-point lead on nearest rivals Chelsea, who are not in action until the following day at Ipswich (19:45).

Gakpo, Salah score as Liverpool beat Leicester, extend lead by 7 points

Cunha scores from corner, Wolves beat Man United

Manchester United’s set-piece curse struck again as Matheus Cunha became the second player in three games to score directly from a corner against them as Wolves defeated them to climb out of the bottom three.

Ruben Amorim’s men were already up against it at at Molineux following the 47th-minute dismissal of skipper Bruno Fernandes for a second yellow card.

However, just as Son Hueng-min did for Tottenham a week ago, Cunha found the net with a corner that sailed over Andre Onana’s outstretched arm in a crowded six-yard box.

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The points were sealed in the eighth minute of added time when, as United chased an equaliser, Wolves broke and Cunha squared the ball for Hwang Hee-chan to make it 2-0.

In recent weeks, Amorim has tried and failed to make his side more secure but Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth have also capitalised from United’s frailty at defending balls pumped into their box during a run of five defeats in seven games in all competitions.

Amorim has now collected seven points from his six league games in charge. By contrast new Wolves boss Vitor Pereira has six from two as he followed up the weekend win at Leicester with a first home victory over United since 2019.

If life was not bad enough for United, they will now be without Fernandes for the home game with Newcastle on 30 December and also midfielder Manuel Ugarte, who picked up his fifth booking of the season.

Cunha scores from corner, Wolves beat Man United