[골닷컴] Reporter Kim Dong-ho = Lionel Messi’s last dance is running towards the end. Adidas’ efforts for Messi are also regarding to bear fruit.
‘Tango Corps’ Argentina and ‘Roble Corps’ France will face off for the championship cup in the 2022 FIFA World Cup finals in Qatar, held at Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar at 0:00 am (Korean time) on the 19th.
An exciting confrontation is expected as they challenge for the third championship in their career side by side. If Argentina wins the trophy, it will be the first time in 36 years since 1986. On the other hand, if France becomes the champion, it will become the third team in history to win two consecutive World Cups, following Italy and Brazil.
In particular, many soccer fans are paying attention to whether Argentina will win the championship. It’s because of Messi’s existence. Messi, who made his debut at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, has a painful memory of coming close to the trophy at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil but losing to Germany and remaining in second place. Therefore, the World Cup in Qatar is a precious opportunity for Messi. For his own ‘Last Dance’, all of his Argentinian colleagues and fans are united in one mind.
Adidas is also keenly aware of whether or not Messi will win the World Cup. Currently, Adidas is Messi’s personal sponsor as well as the Argentina national soccer team’s uniform sponsor. For Messi’s last World Cup, he is working hard, such as specially producing golden soccer boots.
Also, if Messi wins this World Cup, the Argentina jersey will be Messi’s first World Cup winning jersey. As a result, it is said that the Argentina uniform is already sold out worldwide.
According to the report of ‘Goal.com’ Global Edition, Adidas put all their energy into this uniform, which will be Messi’s last national team uniform. An Adidas official said in an interview with ‘Goal.com’, “We tried to use a sky blue color similar to the color of the Argentine flag as much as possible. The details of the Argentine flag were also incorporated into the design.”
“The number of stripes on the front and back of the uniform is different. When Argentina won the World Cup in 1978, it had three light blue stripes, and when it won the World Cup in 1986, it had four stripes. In 2022, we put four stripes on the front and three stripes on the back,” he added. It was a special detail to wish for the World Cup victory.
In the final match once morest France, Argentina will be wearing their traditional sky blue home uniform. Adidas is expected to be hoping for Messi and Argentina to win the World Cup more than anyone else. Coincidentally, the opposing team’s jersey sponsor is Nike. Nike is also the sponsor of Kylian Mbappe’s football boots, which is considered to be a rival to Messi, so attention is also focused on the fight for pride between the two brands.