Lionel Messi has reached India today (13 December 2025). He is going to visit four cities under ‘GOAT India Tour 2025’. After landing in Kolkata this morning, thousands of fans gave him a warm welcome. Will be in Hyderabad this evening itself. After that, he will go to Mumbai on 14th December and Delhi on 15th, where he will meet PM Modi. He has come to India after a decade, which is no less than a big event for football lovers. You will find a lot of news related to this everywhere, but the story we are going to tell you about Messi will hardly be found anywhere.
This is from 2003. As always, the atmosphere at Barcelona’s La Masia Academy was full of expectations and noise. But there was a boy in that crowd who was a little quiet, small in height, but whenever his foot touched the ball on the field, the football would spin magically. This boy was Lionel Messi. He was making waves in the youth setup of FC Barcelona, the world’s biggest football club, and his name had appeared in the ‘watch-list’ of every major shoe and sports brand in Europe.
If the disease is not treated then one would not have become a superstar.
Messi’s early life was full of struggle. He was born in Rosario city of Argentina. His father worked in a steel factory and mother was a part-time sweeper. The financial condition of Messi’s house was fine, but when he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency disease, a mountain of sorrow fell on the entire family. The cost of treatment of this disease was so high that his family could not afford it. If there was no treatment, Messi’s dream of playing football would have ended.
This was the time when Barcelona officials noticed this young talented player. Barcelona preferred to take risk and called 13 year old Messi to Spain. Barcelona decided to bear the entire cost of his treatment. This was a step that gave life to Messi and gave a new direction to his career. When he settled in Barcelona, his talent created a stir all over the world.
Nike was trying to reach an agreement with Messi
Messi was not just a player, he was going to be the biggest superstar of the future. Everyone knew this. And it was here that the world’s two biggest sports brands (Nike and Adidas) caught sight of him. Every company understood that the brand whose shoes Messi would wear would rule the world for decades to come.
Messi was wearing Nike shoes at that time. His first big agreement with Barcelona was going on and Nike was trying its best to tie him to a big and long term agreement. Messi’s talent and Nike’s branding combined could create a storm. Everything was set. Nike held several meetings with Messi’s managers, and a deal was almost finalized. Messi also felt comfortable using Nike products.
And what happened after this is considered one of the biggest mistakes in the history of the marketing world.
Nike rejected request for extra tracksuits
Messi’s agents or rather managers were his family members. He made a small request to Nike. He said that Messi and his family need some more tracksuits, so that they can use them for training and travelling. This was a very minor and routine request. And when it comes to a superstar, then this matter becomes very small.
But a mid-level executive of Nike did not take this request seriously. Perhaps they underestimated Messi’s value, or thought these were minor demands that could be ignored. The response from Nike headquarters was that the request for tracksuits did not fall under the ‘terms of their agreement’, so they could not supply any more tracksuits.
Messi’s family and agents felt very bad about this answer. He felt that on one hand Nike was talking about billions of dollars of contracts, and on the other hand it was not even understanding this small personal respect. It was deeply embedded in his mind that Nike considered him only as a ‘business asset’ and not as a human being or a valued partner.
Adidas scored a goal on the spot
At the same time, Adidas, the other big player in the sports market, was looking for an opportunity. Its employees became aware of the incident, and immediately contacted Messi’s agents. Adidas learned from Nike’s mistake. He not only talked about money, but also made Messi and his family realize how precious he considered them.
Adidas not only offered Messi a great agreement, but also assured that they would respect every small need and feeling of Messi. Messi immediately said yes. Adidas gave Messi the respect that Nike could not give.
The real journey starts from here, but not with Nike, but with Adidas. Messi now started coming on the field wearing Adidas shoes. This was a big risk for Adidas. It is no less than a risk for any company to sign a contract with a player who was not yet a superstar. But people knew that his shots had power. He will become a superstar one day or the other.
Adidas made Messi its global face. Wherever Messi played, whichever goal he scored, whichever trophy he lifted, he had Adidas shoes on his feet. Adidas launched a signature line of shoes and clothes in the name of Messi, which created a stir in the market. Every goal of Messi was transformed into a billion-dollar advertisement for Adidas shoes.
Every goal of Messi is a victory for Adidas.
Talking about ‘growth’ and ‘win-loss’, this investment of Adidas proved to be the most successful bet in history. Whatever Messi achieved, dozens of trophies, several Ballon d’Or titles, and finally the 2022 FIFA World Cup, every victory was also a victory for Adidas.
Nike soon realized its mistake. His one small ‘no’ made him lose a superstar, due to which Adidas took a huge lead in the market. Nike at that time had Ronaldo, who was a legend in his own right, but Messi’s global appeal and long career gave Adidas a strong hold in the sporting goods market.
Messi and Adidas: forever loyal
The agreement between Messi and Adidas became not just about money but also about ‘loyalty’. Messi asked his company and agent to always stay with Adidas. In 2017, Adidas gave Messi a ‘lifetime partnership’ deal, which was estimated to be worth more than $1 billion. This was one of the world’s largest and most expensive sports endorsement deals.
The current situation is that today Messi and Adidas have become synonymous with each other. No matter which club or country Messi plays for in the world, Adidas shoes are always seen on his feet. Messi is still the biggest brand ambassador of Adidas, who gives billions of dollars in sales and brand value to the company every year.
