baby

It’s a subject that can cause bickering until you’re blue in the face – what will you name your baby?

Creating rifts between couples that can last until the child arrives, it’s a serious decision that will stay with the little one as they grow up.

So it makes a nice change when a couple can agree on a name without any disagreement.

And when one mum and dad to be talked about names they wanted for their baby, he surprised her with a lovely suggestion.

Mum holds baby's hand

Finding a name for your newborn is a tricky task ( Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Gushing over the name idea in a magazine, the mum called Clare, from New South Wales in Australia, said: “We chose our daughter’s name, Lanesra, because it was unique and romantic.”

While a stunning and original name, keener football fans might notice something unusual about the spelling – especially if the letters are reversed.

Clare continued: “It wasn’t until she was two that my husband told me it was actually his favourite soccer team, Arsenal, spelled backwards!”

When the magazine cutting, from Take Five magazine in Australia, recently resurfaced and went viral online, people marvelled at the cunning dad’s clever manipulation.

Even more admirable was his ability to keep it a secret from his partner for two whole years.

As people shared opinions about the story, it emerged other fans from around the world had similarly tricked their partners with exactly the same name.

A football-mad fan from Spain admitted she’d convinced her husband to call their child Lanesra, claiming the name originated from “her Spanish side” – and he fell for it hook, line and sinker.