# Lionel Messi Fifa Princess The Lionel Messi FIFA Princess meme is a joke that portrays Argentinian football star Lionel Messi as FIFA's pampered royal, pushed by rival fans who accuse president Gianni Infantino of favoritism. The nickname first appeared on Twitter during the 2022 World Cup and exploded during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with AI-generated princess edits going viral on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter/X. ## Overview The Lionel Messi FIFA Princess meme is a long-running joke that treats Argentinian football star Lionel Messi as though he were FIFA's spoiled royal, coddled by governing body president Gianni Infantino[8]. Rival fans reach for the nicknames "FIFA's Princess" or "FIFA's Daughter" whenever they want to accuse the organization of tilting referee decisions, awards, or match outcomes in Messi's favor[1]. Image edits typically place Messi in a puffy pink princess dress, tiara, and full royal regalia while Infantino dotes on him with hearts, flowers, or a crown[8]. The visual style leans hard on pastel colors and Disney-adjacent fairy tale iconography, and it works whether the image is a static photoshop or an AI-generated video[7]. The joke sits inside a broader Messi-and-Infantino meme cluster that jokingly casts the pair as romantically entangled, with FIFA Princess acting as the visual shorthand for the underlying favoritism conspiracy[4]. Fans of Cristiano Ronaldo and other stars often mirror the format by inventing their own feminine-coded nicknames, feeding the ongoing greatest-of-all-time argument between fandoms. ## How It Spread The nickname kept circulating through 2023 as fans revisited old grievances about the 2022 tournament and Messi's 2023 Ballon d'Or win. Twitter user jgfloresss posted about the Ballon d'Or on October 30, 2023, arguing that Messi's award was rigged, though the tweet did not gain much traction[5]. Adoption picked up in 2025 as Messi's Inter Miami tour of Major League Soccer put him in front of new American audiences. On April 3, 2025, the TNT Sports México account on Twitter/X posted photos of LA Galaxy supporters holding "FIFA Princess" and "Pessi" signs during a match against Inter Miami, and the tweet drew over 1.4 million views, 23,000 likes, and 1,000 replies within a year[1]. Instagram meme account tirodirectosi kept the run going on June 21, 2025 with an AI action figure edit of Messi packaged as the FIFA Princess, which pulled more than 45,800 likes and 1,000 comments[2]. The template really took off during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, held across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Fans reached for the princess image in real time on Instagram Reels, TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter/X to complain about penalties, fouls, and other calls they saw as favoritism. On June 29, 2026, Twitter user ClinchRMCF folded a Messi-and-Infantino princess image into a broader thread about 2026 penalty decisions, drawing over 27,100 views and 2,200 likes[6]. On July 4, 2026, ChristianariasF shared an AI-generated video of Messi in princess clothing chatting with Infantino, and it collected over 58,500 views[7]. Instagram user hossam_reedaa posted a picture on July 7, 2026 of Infantino placing a crown on a princess-clad Messi, topping 225,000 likes in three days[8]. TikTok creator andycr72601 followed the next day with an AI video edit that hit over 886,700 likes and 22,600 comments in two days[9]. ## How to Use Making a FIFA Princess post typically means pairing a picture of Messi dressed in Disney-style princess clothes with either Gianni Infantino or a caption calling out FIFA favoritism[8]. AI image and video generators do most of the heavy lifting for the visuals, and creators often exaggerate fluttering eyelashes, hearts, tiaras, and pastel palettes. Text-only versions just tag Messi as "FIFA's Princess" or "FIFA's Daughter" while criticizing a specific referee call, penalty, or trophy decision. The gag works best when tied to a recent match moment, so posts spike during live tournament coverage and quiet down between events[6]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Lionel Messi Fifa Princess? It is a joke nickname and image-macro format that portrays Lionel Messi as FIFA's pampered princess, pushed by rival fans who accuse the governing body of favoring him[1]. ### Where did Lionel Messi Fifa Princess come from? The nickname first appeared on Twitter/X in December 2022, near the end of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar[3]. ### What does Lionel Messi Fifa Princess mean? It refers to a joke conspiracy that FIFA and Gianni Infantino give Messi preferential treatment in refereeing, penalties, and awards[1]. ### How do you use Lionel Messi Fifa Princess? People pair a princess-styled Messi image, often AI-generated, with a caption calling out FIFA favoritism, usually tied to a specific match or decision[8]. ### Is Lionel Messi Fifa Princess still popular? Usage spiked during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with posts pulling hundreds of thousands of likes on Instagram and TikTok in mid-2026[9]. ### Who first used the FIFA's Princess nickname for Messi? The earliest known post came from Twitter/X user RonaldoSZN_ on December 9, 2022, complaining about a missed handball call on Messi[4]. ### Why is Messi shown in a princess dress? The princess costume visualizes the joke that FIFA treats Messi like royalty, especially after Argentina's 2022 World Cup win, with edits often featuring Infantino crowning him[8]. ### Is it related to the Messi and Infantino meme? Yes, FIFA Princess overlaps heavily with the Messi-Infantino meme cluster that jokingly casts the pair as romantically involved[7]. ### What role did the 2026 World Cup play? The 2026 tournament in the US, Canada, and Mexico pushed the meme mainstream on TikTok and Instagram Reels, with individual edits collecting hundreds of thousands of likes[9]. ### What is 'Pessi' and how is it related? Pessi is a related rival-fan play on Messi's name that appeared on the same LA Galaxy fan signs as FIFA Princess in April 2025[1]. ## References 1. [https://twitter.com/tntsportsmex]() 2. [https://www.instagram.com/tirodirectosi/]() 3. [https://www.facebook.com/]() 4. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/lionel-messi-fifa-princess]() 5. [https://twitter.com/jgfloresss]() 6. [https://twitter.com/ClinchRMCF]() 7. [https://twitter.com/ChristianariasF]() 8. [https://www.instagram.com/hossam_reedaa/]() 9. [https://www.tiktok.com/@andycr72601]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/lionel-messi-fifa-princess Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library