Lionel Messi and wife welcome latest member of their family, a rare toy poodle named Abu

Lionel Messi's family just got bigger after his wife Antonela Roccuzzo recently shared a picture of their new pet. The Barcelona captain is a cynophile and already has a French mastiff, which has grown to the size of his kids. The Messi Toy Poodle, however, is on the opposite end of the size spectrum and was pictured with Mateo in a post by Lionel Messi's wife. 

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Lionel Messi toy poodle: Wife Antonela Roccuzzo welcomes Abu to the Messi family 

Lionel Messi's wife took to Instagram on Wednesday to welcome a  rare apricot toy poodle to their family. The Messi toy poodle, named Abu, was pictured next to the couple's son Mateo, while the Barcelona captain was in action against Bolivia in 2022 World Cup qualifiers. It is not clear whether Lionel Messi has already greeted the newest member of his family, or will greet the cute pup after he landed in Barcelona. The Messi toy poodle's apricot colour is one of the rarest and is supposed to be the last poodle colour recorded.

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The breed is considered as high maintenance as it requires regular grooming to keep their coat in good condition. Toy poodles grow up to 10 inches tall from the shoulder and weigh in the range of four to six pounds. According to The Sun, the Lionel Messi's toy poodle will have cost Antonela Roccuzzo around £800. Lionel Messi's other pet dog the Hulk is a complete opposite of the newest addition of their family. The French mastiff was a present to the Barcelona captain by his wife Antonela Roccuzzo in 2016 and has since grown enormously in size. Mastiff's also known as the Dogue de Bordeaux, are one of the oldest French dog breeds and is about a whopping 25 inches in height, and weighs approximately above 100 pounds or seven stone. 

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Lionel Messi and Argentina enjoyed a hard-fought win over Bolivia in the 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign in La Paz on Tuesday. The match played at an altitude made things difficult for the players, and La Albiceleste fell behind after Marcelo Martins Moreno opened the scoring in the first half for the hosts. Lautaro Martinez equalised on the stroke of half-time. The visitors left it little too late but found a winner through Joaquin Correa,  who scored a sweet left-foot strike 11 minutes from full time. The win meant that Lionel Messi and Co maintained their 100% record in the South American World Cup qualifiers.

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(Image Courtesy: Lionel Messi, Antonela Roccuzzo Instagram)