Royal Caribbean Names Sports Icon Lionel Messi as Godparent of World’s Largest Cruise Ship

Royal Caribbean has selected Greatest of All Time soccer star Lionel Messi as the godparent for Icon of the Seas. The 2023 TIME’s Athlete of the Year will officially serve as “Icon” to the ship. He will join the naming celebration in January 2024 to officially welcome the ship into the Royal Caribbean fleet.

“Icon of the Seas is the culmination of more than 50 years of delivering memorable vacations, and it’s set to live up to its name in more ways than one…” said Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International. “It’s that ability to make such a widespread impact and change the status quo that the Icon of Icon must personify and Lionel Messi has proven to be the perfect example of that for years in the world of sports…”

“I’m thrilled and honored to join the Royal Caribbean family to celebrate the arrival of the game-changing Icon of the Seas,” Messi said. “Icon is beyond anything else that’s out there for family vacations…”

Messi currently plays for Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami CF. Royal Caribbean is the club’s main partner and also official vacation partner. Like Icon of the Seas, which will set several records when it debuts, Messi holds multiple records including winning the prestigious Ballon d’Or (or Golden Boot) eight times.