Football superstar Lionel Messi will help Royal Caribbean International name its upcoming vessel Icon of the Seas in Miami at the end of next month.

Widely regarded as the greatest footballer of all time, Messi has set a long list of records throughout his career which includes winning the prestigious Ballon d’Or award eight times and being named TIME’s 2023 Athlete of the Year.

The Inter Miami footballer and former Barcelona and PSG player has been named as the “official Icon of Icon of the Seas” and will bestow safekeeping onto the new ship, its crew and passengers – similar to role of a traditional cruise ship godmother.

Icon is ‘beyond any other family holiday’, says Lionel Messi

“I’m thrilled and honoured to join the Royal Caribbean family to celebrate the arrival of the game-changing Icon of the Seas,” said Messi. “Icon is beyond anything else that’s out there for family vacations, with incredible never-before-seen features, all designed for making memories together.”

Messi’s new role follows the recent announcement of Royal Caribbean and Inter Miami CF’s partnership in which the cruise line is the club’s official vacation partner.

“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 when it changes the vacation industry in January 2024,” said Royal president and CEO Michael Bayley.