BARCELONA star Lionel Messi has welcomed a new addition to his family – a rare apricot toy poodle at the opposite end of the size scale to his other dog.

Wife Antonela Roccuzzo showed Abu off on social media, sat on five-year-old son Mateo’s lap, as her footballer husband celebrated Argentina’s 2-1 Copa America win against Bolivia on the other side of the Atlantic.

Lionel Messi has a new family member in a rare apricot toy poodle named AbuCredit: Instagram / @antonelarocuzzo

Messi’s new dog is on the opposite end of the size scale to his French mastiff HulkCredit: Instagram / @leomessi

It was not immediately clear if Messi has already met the new pet in the family or will greet it for the first time when he gets back home.

But what is clear is that whatever size Abu reaches, he’s never going to get anywhere near as big as the footballer’s French mastiff, Hulk, which was once an adorable puppy before it grew almost as big as his kids.

Antonela gifted the 33-year-old their first dog in 2016 and two years later it showed off its size and strength as Messi was filmed teasing him with his dribbling skills in a video which went viral.

And the pretty brunette was the one to reveal their latest acquisition with the photo of Abu and Mateo.

A message alongside read: “This is Abu, the new member of the family.”

Toy poodles grow no more than 10 inches tall from the shoulder and weigh four to six pounds.

They stop growing aged around six or seven months.

They are regarded as high-maintenance dogs which require regular grooming to keep their coat in good condition.

By contrast Hulk, one of the oldest French dog breeds also known as a Dogue de Bordeaux, is around 25 inches high and is thought to weigh just over 100 pounds or seven stone.

Abu reportedly cost Messi and his wife around £800.

The apricot colour is rare and is believed to be the last poodle colour recorded.