Lionel Messi’s move to MLS came with the costly expense of having to keep the family pet, a Bordeaux mastiff, at his home in Barcelona.

The decision to support Hulk was partly due to the seven-year-old dog’s health, Argentine comedian Migue Granados acknowledged this weekend after recording an interview with the 2023 World Cup champion at his home in Miami.

Granados learned of the family’s decision after joking that he was going to put Abu, his pet poodle, in a backpack and ask for a large ransom following last Thursday’s interview for his show on OLGA, a streaming channel.

But he was surprised that Hulk was nowhere to be seen.

“I asked him where that bull was and he told me: ‘He’s in Barcelona, Hulk is there. He’s a little bit older. So, we had to keep him in the house we have there in Barcelona,’” Granados shared.

Lionel Messi plays with Hulk, the family’s seven-year-old Bordeaux mastiff, who did not join them on their move from Barcelona to Miami this summer.

Messi, 36, welcomed Hulk into the family as a puppy in 2016 and shared a photo of himself cuddling the dog on Instagram.

“A new member of my family,” Messi wrote at the time. “Thank you, love, for this beautiful gift.”

He and his wife Antonela Roccuzzo regularly shared photos and videos of the dog on social media, but had not done so since 2021, when Messi was playing for PSG and traveled back to Spain to recover from a heart attack.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner took into account the amount of stress that moving to another continent in July would cause Hulk at this point in his life.

Messi told Granados that Hulk “is on the verge” of perhaps needing to be put to sleep.

Messi is resting at his home in Barcelona with the family dog, Hulk, a seven-year-old Bordeaux mastiff

Messi’s pet, Hulk, is a seven-year-old Bordeaux mastiff. His life expectancy is between five and eight years, although in some cases there are some that live up to 11 years.

Messi plays with Hulk at the family home. For now, Hulk is in the care of the staff at the luxurious house in Castelldefels, a neighbourhood 20 kilometres from the Camp Nou

Bordeaux Mastiffs can reach 68 centimetres in height and weigh 50 kilos. They live between five and eight years, although some can live up to 11 years.

For now, Hulk is being looked after by the staff at the luxurious house in Castelldefels, a suburb 20 kilometres from the Camp Nou. Messi, meanwhile, has become the face of MLS in the United States, as he plays for Inter Miami CF.

During the interview, Messi shared that the family wakes up on school days at 7 a.m. for a group breakfast and drops off their three sons, Thiago, Mateo and Ciro.

He and his wife come home to take a nap or catch up on their favorite shows. Other days, he heads off to train with Inter Miami. Around 3 p.m., the two pick up the kids before taking Thiago and Mateo to soccer practice at the club’s academy.

Messi also took advantage of the opportunity to expand his family.

“We would like that,” he said. “We are not in the search, but we would like the girl to come.”