Lionel Messi is synonymous with the German sports company Adidas. But Messi was actually familiar with Adidas rivals, Nike, early in his career.
Messi and Adidas are an inseparable part at this time. Even in 2017, Adidas dared to give a lifetime contract to the Argentine footballer.
The contract is the same as that of David Beckham and Zinedine Zidane, who are still wearing Adidas products after retiring. Messi has always been an Adidas icon from season to season.
Even Adidas even made special shoes for Messi called the F50 which helped him score hundreds of goals and assists, as well as win dozens of trophies.
Lionel Messi’s Adidas F50 Shoes Photo: Europa Press via Getty Images/Europa Press Sports |
But, for you to know, Messi has actually worn Nike shoes since he first entered Barcelona’s academy at the age of 14. Even his professional debut in 2003 also used the shoes from the United States.
Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo at that time became Nike’s future icons, which at that time was synonymous with Ronaldo Luis Nazario Da Lima. Adidas at that time was already famous for David Beckham and his Predator shoes.
Then, there was an incident that ended Nike and Messi’s intimacy in 2006. At that time Nike had made an advertisement for the 2006 World Cup using Messi and Ronaldo as the main stars.
According to the book Messi vs. Ronaldo: One Rivalry, Two GOATs, and the Era That Remade the World’s Game Created by Jonathan Clegg and Joshua Robinson, Messi who was about to do a photo session with Nike was suddenly asked to stop.
Apparently Nike got a call from Messi’s representative, in this case his father Jorge, to take down all promotional materials related to his son. Because, Jorge felt that Nike did not fulfill one of the clauses in his contract, which was to provide Messi with more shirts.
Not accepting Messi’s arbitrary actions, Nike took the case to court in 2006, for claiming to have an agreement with the player.
Unfortunately, the Spanish Court found a different fact that the agreement was only a commitment, not a formal contract. There’s even the fact that Messi actually had an underhand partnership with Adidas in February 2006, four months before breaking up with Nike.
 Lionel Messi has always played at a Nike sponsored club Photo: Getty Images/Carlos Rodrigues |
Although synonymous with Adidas, Messi during his career at club level actually strengthened Nike-sponsored teams, namely Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. So when there was a photo session for the two clubs, the Adidas Messi shoe logo was forced to close.
Lionel Messi only wore the Adidas uniform while strengthening the Argentine national team.
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