Lionel Messi now has a flower named after him, and the reason is beautiful

Dubai: We all know the little magician is an absolute genius. He may have recently retired from international football, but he continues to shine for Inter Miami, scoring a brilliant brace in his latest outing.

However, this time, we are not going to talk about his footballing brilliance. Instead, we have an interesting story about Lionel Messi from a completely different field, quite literally.

Lionel Messi has had stadiums, streets and countless tributes dedicated to him over the years. But his latest honour has come from a rather unexpected place: the world of science.

Researchers have named a newly described plant species Salvia messii after the Argentine football legend.

And there is a special reason behind it.

The plant, found in the Andes mountains of Peru, produces beautiful light blue and white flowers, the same colours associated with Messi's Argentina jersey.

The species belongs to the mint family and grows on rocky mountain slopes between 2,000 and 2,400 metres above sea level.

A rare tribute with a warning

The plant can grow up to 1.5 metres tall and is found in a limited number of locations in Peru.

However, there is a worrying side to the discovery.

Scientists have classified the species as endangered in their preliminary conservation assessment because of its restricted distribution and environmental threats.

The research was conducted by botanists from Peru and Argentina and published in the scientific journal Phytotaxa.

For Messi, who has won almost everything football has to offer, it is another unusual addition to his remarkable legacy.

This time, his name will live on not just in football's record books, but in the botanical world too.

And if you are not aware, he is now Dr Messi too, having recently received an honorary doctorate from the University of Buenos Aires in recognition of his remarkable football career and contributions to Argentina.

From football to academia and now the world of botany, Messi's legacy continues to grow in the most unexpected ways