Lionel Messi’s dog is Hulk, a Dogue de Bordeaux who joined the family in January 2016. He is the enormous fawn-colored mastiff from Antonela Roccuzzo’s videos, the one built like a coffee table with opinions. There is also a second famous Messi in the dog world, a French Border Collie movie star who won at Cannes, and people mix the two up constantly, so both get their section here.
The disambiguation table comes first, because half the people searching this want the footballer’s giant and the other half want the actor.
Two Famous Messi Dogs, One Search
| Hulk | Messi (the actor) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who | Lionel Messi’s family dog | A dog named after Lionel Messi |
| Breed | Dogue de Bordeaux (French Mastiff) | Border Collie |
| Arrived | January 2016, a gift in the Messi household | Born April 2016, in France |
| Famous for | Being enormous on Antonela’s Instagram | Playing Snoop in Anatomy of a Fall |
| Biggest honor | Guarding a Ballon d’Or collection | The Palm Dog Award at Cannes |
Hulk, the Gentle Giant of Casa Messi
Hulk arrived in January 2016, announced by Messi as a “new member of the family,” and grew into his name fast; per Goal’s profile of the dog, a video Antonela posted in 2018 made him briefly the most famous pet in football, a two-year-old already the size of the furniture. The family sometimes upgrades him to Señor Hulk, which fits.
He was not the household’s first dog. Before Hulk, the family pet was Toby, a small white fluff in the Bichon range, which means the Messi household went from carry-on size to cargo in one adoption.
The famous clips write the character. Hulk trying to join a family kickabout; Hulk serving as a leaning post for the kids; Hulk moving with the unhurried authority of an animal that has never needed to rush. Messi playing keep-away from a 110-pound mastiff remains some of his most rewatched non-football footage.
What Happened to Hulk?
The honest answer is that nothing has been announced, and the visible record simply thins out. Hulk appeared regularly in family posts through the Barcelona and Paris years, then largely stopped appearing after the family’s move to Miami; Messi has never posted a farewell, and the family does not narrate its pets’ lives publicly.
The breed context matters here, and it is the part fan speculation usually skips. The AKC’s Dogue de Bordeaux profile lists a life expectancy of roughly 5 to 8 years, among the shortest of any breed; a dog who arrived in early 2016 has already outlived the average for his kind. Whatever Hulk’s current status, the absence of updates is not evidence of neglect; it is a family declining to make content out of an old dog, which is its own kind of decency. For how breed size bends the math, our dog age chart covers why giants age fastest.
The Other Messi: The Border Collie Who Won Cannes
The second Messi is a French Border Collie, born in April 2016 and owned by dog trainer Laura Martin Contini, who became the breakout star of Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall. Playing Snoop, the guide dog at the center of the film’s most disputed scene, he won the Palm Dog Award at Cannes and then did something rarer: he out-famed the movie.
Awards season turned him into a running bit. Messi attended the Oscar nominees’ luncheon in February 2024, then the Academy Awards ceremony that March, where cutaways of a Border Collie in a bow tie applauding became the night’s meme. He has since continued acting, including a role in the French series Bref.2. He is, by any honest accounting, the most decorated Messi never to touch a football.
The Breed Behind Hulk, for Anyone Tempted
Every famous pet sells some of its breed, and the Dogue de Bordeaux is a heavier purchase than a highlight reel shows. The AKC profile describes a affectionate, loyal giant, and the fine print is real: males run 110 pounds and up, the drool is constant and architectural, the snoring is roommate-grade, and the short lifespan means the goodbye comes cruelly early. They are wonderful dogs for people who chose the whole package; they are a bad impulse buy off a football star’s Instagram.
FAQ: Messi and the Dogs
What kind of dog does Messi have?
Lionel Messi’s dog Hulk is a Dogue de Bordeaux, also called a French Mastiff or Bordeaux Mastiff, a giant fawn-colored guardian breed. The unrelated dog actor named Messi is a Border Collie.
What happened with Messi’s dog?
Nothing official: Hulk gradually stopped appearing in family posts after the Messis moved to Miami, and no announcement has been made either way. Given the breed’s 5-to-8-year typical lifespan and Hulk’s 2016 arrival, fans read the silence as the family keeping an old dog’s life private.
How much is Messi’s dog worth?
Viral figures for Hulk’s “worth” are invented; nobody appraises a family pet. Dogue de Bordeaux puppies from reputable breeders generally cost in the low thousands of dollars, and the breed’s real cost arrives later, in food volume and giant-breed vet bills.
Does Messi still have his dog, Hulk?
Unknown publicly: the family has neither confirmed a goodbye nor shown Hulk in Miami. The last era of regular appearances was Barcelona and Paris, and the family has chosen privacy over updates since.
