Fight to Reach Your Dream: Lionel Messi’s adidas Lifestyle Collaborations
Argentine soccer lord has been part of the adidas family for almost two decades now, acting as the jewel in the Trefoil crown. There’s been a plethora of iconic x Messi moments throughout his long history at the brand, but one of the biggest was in 2009. It was the UEFA Champions League final, with taking on , where he undertook a superhuman header to put his team up 2-0. During that larger than life move, Messi’s bright blue F30 boot fell off, which he promptly held up to the crowd, forever immortalising his partnership with the Three Stripes.
Throughout Lionel Messi’s career, his adidas boots have remained sleek, always rocking the peak-performance from Team Trefoil. A top highlight is the F50 TUNIT he wore during the 2022 World Cup, alongside the X Speedportal Messi.1 Balon Te Adoro. Off-pitch, Leo Messi is a low-key sneakerhead, especially during the peak – he loved the ! He’s also a wearer of classic creps, like the and . Although here at Sneaker Freaker, we love his lifestyle collaborations, namely the recent adidas .
With Argentina competing in the Copa América finals, we thought we would do a round-up of Lionel Messi’s top sneaker collaborations with adidas!
Lionel Messi x adidas Samba (2012)
In recent years, the adidas Samba has experienced unprecedented hype, with the silhouette seemingly everywhere. But, back in 2012, the adidas Samba was far from the hype sneaker it is today. That didn’t matter to Messi, who collaborated on the Samba way back in 2012. This colab was ultra-limited and rocked a somewhat different build to the OG, hosting a luxurious touch. The colourway looked to Argentina for inspiration, with the Rosario City insignia stitched on the insole. Elsewhere, his surname has been emblazoned on the Three Stripes with a logo attached to the rear.
Lionel Messi x adidas Spezial Handball ‘Inter Miami’ (2023)
Another sneaker that has been on the radar of the wider zeitgeist in 2024 is the adidas Spezial Handball, which was resurrected by the Gary Aspden-led Trefoil sub-brand Spezial. As usual, Messi was early and joined forces with adidas in 2023 to craft an Inter Miami-themed Spezial. For those unfamiliar, Inter Miami has received a plethora of press in recent years, thanks to the growing popularity of North America’s Major League Soccer tournament. It also doesn’t hurt that the team is co-owned by David Beckham and signed Messi back in 2023, with a contract that spans until 2025.
Lionel Messi x adidas Samba (2024)
February this year is when Messi and adidas came through with arguably their best lifestyle collaboration of all time. Once again revisiting the Samba, this time using the OG build, the Argentine footballer and adidas kitted two colourways. The first was the highlight and came correct in a blue and white combo, mixed in with Messi’s logo, icy white midsole, and gold heel tab. The second iteration opted for a similar build albeit with less Messi branding, keeping it only to his logo in a vibrant neon green on the tongue.
Lionel Messi x adidas Spezial Handball ‘Inter Miami Home’ and ‘Inter Miami Away’ (2024)
That wasn’t the only adidas Samba on the cards for the Messi and adidas partnership in 2024, as they came out with a two-pack, once again inspired by Inter Miami. Each colourway was aptly named either ‘Inter Miami Home’ and ‘Inter Miami Away’ and took cues from the team’s respective kits. The finishing touch was the subtle Messi branding placed on the tongue.
Lionel Messi x adidas Samba ‘Black/Gold’ (2024)
The latest Messi x adidas collaboration came in the form of another Samba, this time with a simplistic two-tone black and gold. Similar to their previous work, the Messi involvement is subtle, with only low-key branding hit on the tongue. Elsewhere, the entire upper has been ensconced in black leather with metallic gold accents!
Good luck to Lionel Messi and Argentina in the Copa América finals!