According to the proverb, a man’s best friend is a dog, and Barcelona legend Lionel Messi undoubtedly has a favorite four-legged pal.

Messi is not the only well-known footballer with a well-known animal companion; Neymar, Alexis Sanchez, Mario Balotelli, and others have also posted pictures of their animals on social media.

The most well-known of any of them, though, might be the Argentine’s dog.

What breed and name does Messi’s dog have, then? Goal provides all the information you require on the Argentine hound.

The pet dog of Lionel Messi is a Dogue de Bordeaux. The breed, also referred to as a Bordeaux Mastiff or French Mastiff, is renowned for its size and power.

Large-headed, short-haired dog breeds known as Dogues de Bordeaux typically have coats that are a striking red fawn color.

In the past, Dogues de Bordeaux have been employed as working dogs to haul merchandise as well as guard dogs to defend homes and livestock.

In the 1989 “buddy cop” film Turner and Hooch, which starred Tom Hanks and Dogue de Bordeaux “Beasley,” the breed was prominently featured.

Given the enormous size of the dog, Hulk (also spelled Senor Hulk) is unquestionably a fitting name for it.

Fans were able to see just how large Hulk was in a video published on Instagram by Messi’s wife Antonela Roccuzzo in 2018—even though he was still just about two years old at the time.

In the video, Messi playfully kicks the ball over the dog’s head to provide scale, demonstrating that the Argentinean’s skills can humiliate animals as well as people.

Toby, who appears to be a Bichon Frise or small Poodle, was the Messi family’s main pet dog before Hulk arrived at Casa Messi.

images of the dog Lionel Messi

Senor Hulk initially appeared in January 2016, when Messi revealed the addition of a “new member of the family” to the Messi family.