Ben Brereton Díaz also changed his name – but for a different reason (Image: Rene Nijhuis/MB Media/Getty Images)
Ben Brereton Diaz is a name British football fans will be familiar with, from his prolific stint at to his less successful tenure with struggling side Southampton. The forward currently finds himself loaned out from the Saints to Championship club Sheffield United, aiming to bolster their promotion bid to the top flight after rejoining them in the January window.
The 25-year-old, who has also played for Villarreal and , has proven to be a solid asset for Chris Wilder’s Blades, boasting two goals and an assist across seven games thus far. His latest spell with the Blades comes four years on from Brereton Diaz opting to alter his name, which preceded Formula One icon ‘s similar decision.
Hamilton is set to test drive for for the first time during the F1 testing sessions for the anticipated 2025 season, taking place from Wednesday to Friday in Bahrain. But previously, the British driver openly discussed the idea of legally adopting his mother’s surname, Larbalestier, as a tribute to her.
Hamilton added: “Because I don’t really fully understand the whole idea of why, when people get married, the woman loses her name. I really want her name to continue on with the Hamilton name.”
While Hamilton was transparent about his choice to amend his surname in honour of his lineage, footballer Brereton Diaz adopted his dual-name format to align with Spanish customs. In 2021, video game fans playing the latest Football Manager spotted that Brereton Diaz has Chilean heritage – sparking a movement to see him play for the national squad.
Consequently, then-manager Martin Lasarte called Brereton Diaz up to the Chile national team because his mother’s heritage rendered him eligible.
Ahead of his maiden game in Copa America 2021 – a 1-1 draw with Argentina – Brereton Diaz opted to bear both his parents’ last names to proudly symbolise his lineage as per Spanish tradition. During this period, he contributed to Blackburn’s campaign in the Championship and expressed gratification over presenting both family names internationally.
Brereton Diaz represents both his mother and father’s surnames on his jersey (Image: Getty)
At the time, the now-25-year-old said: “It’s great, and it’s a real privilege, particularly for my mum’s side of the family. I’ve known for quite a while that Chile were looking at me, but I just kept my head down and wanted to do well for Blackburn Rovers.
“Then just recently they’ve been in touch with me and my family, to let us know, and we’ve made the decision that we want to do it and give it my best shot. It’s a real honour, Chile are a great team to be a part of and my mum and my granddad, and all the family, are very proud.
“It’s really special for them. They were all in tears when they found out. It’s really exciting and they’re really proud of me and I can’t wait to play. I played for England when I was younger and it was a great honour as well, but for me this was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down and it’s a massive honour to play for the other side of my family.
Joe Lolley found Brereton Diaz’s name change rather amusing (Image: Instagram)
“I’ve been really grateful for all the messages of support I’ve had from the Chilean fans so far. I know that they love their football and I can’t wait to get over there and experience it firsthand and hopefully I can do the country proud.”
Former Forest team-mate Joe Lolley noted the name change as Brereton Diaz appeared during the Argentina vs Chile match, taking to to share an image of Ben on TV with the caption “Brereton Diaz”, accompanied by three laughing face emojis.
Since embracing his Chilean heritage, Brereton Diaz has made 35 appearances for the national team and scored seven goals, including one against Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
The striker is set to see out the remainder of the 2024/25 season with Sheffield United before he heads back to Southampton, who appear to be facing relegation to the Championship.