Lionel Messi's Unique Pizza Choice Sparked A Food Debate Online

What topping you prefer on your pizza is a personal decision that, depending on what you choose, might even be controversial. Most won't disparage some pepperoni or sausage, but that's about where the agreement ends. Pineapple on pizza is one of the most controversial pizza toppings, with more casual toppings like vegetables, fish, and ranch also causing debate. And apparently, you can't catch a break on your pizza toppings even if you're 8x Ballon D'or winner and World Cup champion Lionel Messi.

In the midst of the World Cup, Messi's favorite pizza order resurfaced again, and some people on the internet raised their eyebrows at his choice of toppings. The cheese pizza was covered in large slices of tomato, rings of raw onion, whole olives, and chimichurri. The heavy presence of vegetables isn't really surprising considering what Messi eats in a day is focused on whole foods as a professional athlete. But Redditors were quick to judge, with one writing, "All the money in the world, and he eats worse than I do on a regular Friday."

Some were quick to point out the pizza is actually an Argentine-style pie, noting, "The tomatoes are topped before going into the oven so they are soft and juicy. It's actually really good." Others noted the pizza looked tasty. One Redditor explained, "Argentine pizzas always come with just one whole green olive on each slice. You pick it up and eat it before you eat the slice." It goes to show just because the topping is unfamiliar to you doesn't mean it's weird or wrong. If anything, it's something new to try.

Lionel Messi's specialty pizza is from Banchero Miami, an Argentine pizza place in Florida. The original Pizzeria Banchero started in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1932, by the same family who created fugazza (an Argentinian focaccia, often topped with onions and sometimes cheese). The original pizza spot is still open, but Banchero also has three locations in Florida: Weston, Hallandale Beach, and Miami Beach.

The pizzeria has an extensive menu of Argentine pizzas, including its claim to fame, fugazza, as well as Lionel Messi's order: the Napolitana. Other pizzas include boca republic, which has smoked bacon and green onion along with tomato sauce, cheese, oregano, and olives, and Milanese beef Napolitana, which has ham, not beef, with tomato slices and cheese. Banchero also offers customers tropical pizzas with pineapple, Italian-style pies, and veggie-heavy pizzas.

If you want to eat like Messi, you can order from Banchero if you're in the area, but if you're not in Florida or Argentina, you can make an Argentine-style pizza at home. Make some quick no-knead pizza dough or pick up some premade dough from the store and use the same ingredients to make a pizza Messi has also enjoyed.