People left stunned by soccer Osama Vinladen and his family's names
A Peruvian soccer player has caught the attention of baffled internet users thanks to the similarities between his name and that of former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
I'm sure I don't need to explain to you who Bin Laden was.
As the founder of the terrorist organization, he helped orchestrate the 9/11 attacks on the United States - not to mention attacks on a number of other countries which left thousands of civilians dead.
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So he's not a person to admire, but that apparently didn't put off the parents of Osama VinLaden Jimenez Lopez, who opted for a name that sounded just like the terrorist's when their son was born in 2002 - it's worth noting that the 'v' is pronounced 'b' in Spanish.
Now 21 years old, Lopez plays as a midfielder for Unión Comercio in Peru, and while his soccer skills have earned him attention, the player has also been forced to address his unusual choice of name.
When he was 18, Lopez appeared on a radio show in which he explained: "When Osama bin Laden knocked down the Twin Towers, the name was in the news and I was born (a year later) on October 7, 2002.
“There are no other people who call themselves that. I‘ve been through this situation and it seems normal. My shirt says Osama. I thought about changing my name, but now I am calm. My father liked it."
Though Lopez has come to accept his name, internet users have shared their shock over the choice.
"At first I was like "wow that's unfortunate" and then it was intentional???," one baffled person commented, as another added: "what were their parents trying to do."
The unusual names don't stop with Lopez, either, as he revealed that his dad also tried to stick with the trend with the soccer player's siblings.
He explained: “My brother’s name is Saddam Hussein and my father wanted to name the third child George Bush, but it was a girl."
Saddam Hussein was the leader of Iraq from 1979 to 2003, before he was overthrown in the US invasion and ultimately executed for crimes against humanity.
After learning of the Lopez family names, another internet user wrote: "Imagine beeing in the same class with Osama Vinladen and Sadam Husein. Then, imagina telling your mother that they gonna came home to play [sic]."
Though the names do have some unfortunate inspirations, Lopez pointed out that it has no bearing on who he is as a person.
“There is a person called Hitler also in Peru," he said. "Jesus saved the world and there are Jesuses who do harm.
"Because there is an Osama who killed people, I don’t think there has to be a law about the name. It draws a lot of attention, from what I see.”
Emily Brown