Lionel Messi made history once again, as he was awarded the Ballon d’or award on Monday night, beating competitors like Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe. It was his 8th overall in his career, and is a historic milestone. And it only further proves that he indeed is the greatest player of this generation, if not of all time.
As his fans, teammates, and even rivals congratulate him on the win, his associated partners are also doing no less. This is a unique moment to cement their relationship with the Argentine and Adidas have done just that with a unique present.
Adidas presents eight gold rings to Lionel Messi
Adidas has been a longtime partner of Lionel Messi, with their relationship starting from 2006, Since then the soccer legend and the popular footwear brand have collaborated on numerous occasions. Numerous boots of the brand have been styled just for Messi, and it is no doubt that he is their biggest personality. Just a few days ago, Adidas put a billboard in space with Messi’s image.
Seeing that Messi has won another historic Ballon d’Or, Adidas decided to do something special to commemorate the occasion. The German brand decided to do something unique for the legend that is Messi.
They gifted Messi eight unique golden rings to signify the eight Ballon d’or wins he has. The rings are made of 14 carat gold and are each uniquely designed. The Argentine was pictured wearing the rings to create a unique image in a similar way to NBA legend Bill Russell doing the same in 1996. The image has since made rounds on social media, with many appreciating Adidas for the gesture.
Rings are usually associated with American sports like NBA and NFL where players get a ring after a championship win. Since Messi is now in the MLS, it was a good move by Adidas. Messi’s unique rings however are each set to be auctioned off, according to a yet unverified rumor.
Examining details of the commemorative Lionel Messi rings
As said before, each ring was carefully designed to commemorate the significance of each Ballon d’Or win. Each have the year crafted on it along with a image or some words that shows the significance of each year to Messi. Adidas really did the whole thing with much thought.
The first one is from 2009 and named ‘El Beso’, which translates to ‘the kiss’. It refers to the iconic celebration by Messi when he kissed his boots after scoring in the Champions League final against Manchester United in 2009.
The second is the 2010 one and is named ‘Apunta Al Cielo’ which means point to the sky. Again, it refers to the iconic celebration Messi does after scoring, which is point to the sky and is done to honor his late grandmother.
The 2011 one has the image of a goat drawn on it and the words ‘GOAT’, and is because of his dominant presence in the iconic Barcelona team that won the UCL.
The fourth one from 2012 simply has ’91’ drawn on it, referring to the 91 goals he scored that year, which is the most goals scored by a player in a single year.
The next one from 2015 has the image of four shields to signify the four Champions League the player has won.
The ring signifying 2019 has a star sign consisting of six legs, to showcase his six Golden Boot wins, which is another record.
2021 is the “South American Champion”, which is the Copa America win in 2021 with Argentina, his first international trophy. 2023 shows three stars to signify the three World Cups Argentina has, with the most recent one won by Lionel Messi and Argentina in 2022.
It was a great gesture by Adidas to honor such a legend of the sport, and Lionel Messi is certainly happy to receive it.
