Professional Football Player from Peru named Osama Vinladen
OSAMA VINLADEN JIMENEZ LOPEZ – A 22-year-old football player from Peru, has been making waves not only for his skills on the field but also because of his name.
His name first gained attention in 2017 when he joined the under-15 category of Peru’s national football team. He later became a professional football player in 2018 when he was recruited by Union Comercio, a second-division club. Last year, Union Comercio advanced to the first division, bringing Osama’s name back into the spotlight due to his team’s progress.
Despite the negative associations with his name, particularly with Osama bin Laden, the founder of the terrorist group al Qaeda responsible for the September 11, 2001 terror attack in America, Osama Vinladen sees no issue with it. In an interview with Marca, a Spanish newspaper, he revealed that one of his brothers is named Saddam Hussien, after the former leader of Iraq, albeit with slightly different spellings.
Osama’s father even wanted to name his youngest sibling George Bush, after the American president during the 9/11 attacks and the one who led the capture of Iraqi Saddam Hussein. However, they ended up naming her after their father, as she was a girl.
While Osama has contemplated changing his name, he has grown accustomed to it. He believes that there’s more to a person than just their name and hopes others understand that too. He also pointed out that in Peru, there are people with names like Hitler.
Osama named his own child Santiago, a common name in Peru, avoiding any controversial associations. He acknowledges the history behind his name but doesn’t think there should be a law governing names because of isolated incidents. For Osama, his identity as a person and a football player transcends his name, and he continues to pursue his passion for the sport despite the attention his name brings.
