MY NAME IS...

MY NAME IS...

Summer is the perfect time for puzzles, games, riddles and crosswords. But keep an eye on the clues about the real names behind some of AC Milan's greatest players - because the Rossoneri history books are full of surprises. Everyone knows the legendary Franco Baresi, but his official first name is actually Franchino. The same surprise applies to Marcel van Basten... Dutch football history also gives us Franklin Edmundo Rijkaard. In his case, Edmundo is his middle name, chosen by his parents and officially registered at birth. In the Netherlands, it is quite common for people to have two or even three given names, often linked to family traditions or cultural influences. The same tradition can be found among Brazilian footballers, with examples including Sergio Claudio dos Santos "Serginho", Marcos Evangelista de Moraes "Cafu" and Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite "Kaká".

Among today's Rossoneri players, AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan's full name is Mike Peterson Maignan. "Peterson" is simply his middle name, given to him by his parents at birth in keeping with family tradition.Christian Pulisic also has a second given name: Mate. It was passed down to him by his paternal grandfather, who has Croatian roots. His grandfather played a key role during his childhood and in developing his passion for football. Mario Gila Fuentes, meanwhile, follows the traditional Spanish naming system. In Spain, every person has two surnames: the first is their father’s first surname (in this case, Gila), while the second comes from their mother (in this case, Fuentes). This format is used both on official documents and when registering players on official squad lists.

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