In a World Cup atmosphere: see the most used player names on pets

That pet owners are creative when choosing names for their pets is nothing new. Football lovers, then, take advantage of the opportunity of choosing to name their pets after their favorite players - some who will even be at the 2026 World Cup.

A survey carried out by Petlove discovered the most popular names for animals in Brazilian homes. At the top of the ranking are Portuguese midfielder Bruno - a reference to Bruno Fernandes -, Argentine star Messi and, of course, Brazilian Neymar Jr. - who was surprised to be called up by Ancelotti for the Brazilian National Team.

In 2025, another survey carried out by Petlove showed that mutts are the favorite among dogs and cats in Brazil. The research considered the entire database of pets registered on the company's platforms, bringing together information on more than 1.8 million animals with categories of breed, sex, age and species.

Among dogs, the Shih Tzu and Yorkshire Terrier breeds close the podium, pointing to a trend that favors small breeds, especially for those who live in apartments.

Check the complete ranking of names

- Bruno (Bruno Fernandes)
- Messi
- Neymar
- Rafinha
- Mané
- Vinícius Júnior / Vini Jr
- Danilo
- Julian Álvarez
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Salah
- Endrick
- Haaland
- Bellingham
- De Bruyne
- Pedri
- Yamal
- Mbappé
- Palmer
- Modric
- Vitinha
- Lautaro Martínez
- Harry Kane
- Lewandowski
- Courtois
- Dembélé
- Saka

Check out the most popular dog breeds in Brazil

Source: CNN