Let's give Fernando Aristeguieta a nickname

Before Fernando Aristeguieta even joined the team in Florida, Union Twitter was clamoring for a nickname for the club's new Venezuelan striker.

Aristeguieta is of Basque heritage, as his last name indicates. People from the Basque Country, which is located in Northern Spain, are known for having very distinct surnames. Guerricaechevarria, Magunagoikoetxea, and Oyangurengoitia are examples of last names held by those from the region. As you can see, they can be a bit of a mouthful.

Union fans have not expressed any interest in pronouncing or typing his name, which has eight syllables and is 21 characters long. Several nicknames have sprung up, but we are here to find a moniker that we can all agree on.

El Colorado

His longtime nickname, meaning "colored red" or "reddish." It definitely gets some points for coming about organically during Aristeguieta's youth. It could be confused with the state of the same name, but El Colorado is a pretty cool nickname nonetheless.

Cologol

He was called Cologol in Venezuela, which is just a combination of Colorado and gol. To me, this is pretty weak. If we use one of his previous nicknames, I'd prefer El Colorado.

Union Cornelius

Eh, sure I guess. This one is in reference to the Cornelius character from the famous Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer TV special.

Beardnando

This one has garnered mixed reviews on Reddit, as some have already tired of it. The name seems a bit forced, and there is a huge glaring issue: What if he shaves his beard?

Nando (Nando's, Cheeky Nando's)

A short, simple nickname that can also be used to fit the popular Cheeky Nando's meme. Nando rolls right off the tongue, and the prospect of saying, "Out for a cheeky Nando's," every time I go to a Union game is exciting.

Fernando Aristeguieta

Do you hate nicknames? Was your thesis on Basque surname pronunciation? If you answered yes to either of these questions, then you'll likely be calling him by his full name this year.

What do you think? Did I exhaust all of the options? Let me know your suggestions in the comments.