La Liga champions Real Madrid have introduced a new personalisation policy that prevents fans from printing Lionel Messi’s name on their shirts, Soccernet.football reports.
The policy change emerged after a Spanish YouTuber, Grefg, attempted to personalise his Real Madrid shirt with the name of the legendary Barcelona player.
In a video shared on his channel, Grefg explained how he tried to order the new Real Madrid away kit with ‘Messi’ printed on the back.
Upon entering the name, a warning message appeared, stating: “Apologies, our Personalisation Policy does not allow the use of this name.”
Despite this, Grefg persisted, attempting to bypass the restriction by entering the name with spaces: ‘M E S S I’. Although initially allowed, the order was later cancelled, and his money refunded.
Determined to test the system further, Grefg made another attempt while live-streaming on Twitch, using the same spaced-out name format. However, the website once again blocked the order, explicitly citing the personalisation policy.
Grefg commented on the situation, saying, “You could say that we have made them put a new restriction on the website, and now they won’t let you order it even if you write M E S S I with spaces.”
Lionel Messi, who spent the majority of his illustrious career at Barcelona, was a formidable opponent for Real Madrid, scoring 26 goals and providing 14 assists in matches against them. His performances, including a memorable hat-trick in a 2007 El Clasico, have often been a source of frustration for Madrid fans.
The rivalry between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, particularly during their respective tenures at Barcelona and Real Madrid, was one of the most iconic in football history. Messi’s contributions in key matches, such as Barcelona’s 4-3 victory at the Bernabeu in the 2013/14 season, have left a lasting impact.
The decision by Real Madrid to block Messi’s name from being printed on their shirts could be seen as a measure to preserve the club’s identity, acknowledging Messi’s legacy while maintaining a distinct separation from their historic rival.
