Osama Vinladen called up to the Peru Under 15 squad
A Unión Comercio player who has a similar name to the well-know terrorist has been called up to represent Peru at youth level.
Everything seems in order when you scroll down the list of young Peruvian players called up to represent their country at Under-15 level. That is, until you reach the name Osama Vinladen Jiménez López.
Vinladen called up by Peru
The Unión Comercio player has a startingly similar name to Osama Bin Laden, who was the founder of terrorist group al-Qaeda, the organisation responsible for the 9/11 attacks in the United States.
Given that the Spanish pronunciation of the letter 'V' is very similar to the letter 'B' in this case, the name bears an even closer resemblance to that of the Saudi Arabian when spoken.
Peruvian naming tradition offers explanation
It is common in Peru for parents to name their child after a famous individual, regardless of how that individual entered the public consciousness. Peruvian culture places importance on names, and parents may think that giving their child a famous name will help them achieve notoriety. As such, it is not uncommon to come across Peruvians with names ranging from 'Hitler' to 'Ringo Starr'.
