Antonio Cassano has named his newborn son after "the greatest player of all time," namely Lionel Messi, according to the Inter Milan striker.

Cassano's wife Carolina gave birth to the couple's second son on Monday.

Cassano said he had named his son Lionel "in honor of the greatest player of all time, my idol."

The dedication to star Barcelona forward Messi is unlikely to be missed by fans of AC Milan, where Cassano played until a controversial summer move to Inter. Messi scored twice for Barcelona as the team overcame a 2-0 first-leg defeat in the last 16 of the Champions League to run out 4-2 aggregate winners following a 4-0 second-leg rout at the Nou Camp.

Reuters - Global Times