Premier League star legally changed name like Lewis Hamilton – but for very different reason

Ben Brereton Diaz is a name many football fans will be aware of after his successful stint with Blackburn Rovers and ineffective time with Premier League strugglers Southampton.

The forward is currently on loan from the Saints to Championship side Sheffield United, as he rejoined the second-placed side in the January window to help their promotion push to the Premier League. The 25-year-old, who also had spells with Villarreal and Forest, has been a decent addition for Chris Wilder's Blades – scoring two and assisting once in seven appearances so far.

And the story behind Brereton Diaz's name change back in 2021 is even more interesting, prior to Formula One star Lewis Hamilton discussing going down a similar path. The British driver will take the wheel of a Ferrari car for the first time this week as part of F1 testing for the upcoming 2025 season, taking place from Wednesday until Friday in Bahrain – and Hamilton previously spoke about legally changing his name.

Speaking in 2022, Hamilton revealed that he would be using his mum's surname - Larbalestier - to honour her and plans to compete with both names in the future. The 40-year-old said: "I'm really proud of my family's name: Hamilton. Actually, none of you might know that my mum's [sur]name is Larbalestier. And I'm just about to put that in my name."

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."

So while Hamilton was clear about the decision to change his name to honour his family, Brereton Diaz actually changed his to stick with Spanish tradition.

In 2021, video game enthusiasts playing the latest Football Manager game noticed that the footballer was half Chilean and began a campaign to get him to play for the international team. Following this revelation, Brereton Diaz was called up by then-manager Martin Lasarte for Chile, as he was eligible for a call-up through his mother's side.

Just before his debut in 2021, where he played a 1-1 draw out with Argentina in the Copa America, the football star decided to use both his mother and father's surnames to represent his country, as is Spanish tradition. At the time, Brereton Diaz was playing for Blackburn in the Championship, and he was pleased to represent his family on the biggest stage with both surnames.

The now-25-year-old said at the time: "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.

"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 first hand and hopefully I can do the country proud."

Former Forest team-mate Joe Lolley spotted the sudden name change during the Argentina vs Chile game at the time, and shared a picture of Ben on TV on his Instagram story with the caption "Brereton Diaz" alongside three laughing face emojis.

Since then, Brereton Diaz has made 35 total appearances for Chile and scored seven goals, including in a 2-1 loss to Lionel Messi's Argentina during the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

He will play out the rest of the 2024/25 season with Sheffield United before returning to Southampton, who are on course to drop back into the Championship.

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.