Here’s why Nike failed to crack a deal with Lionel Messi
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Argentina captain Lionel Messi
The news that seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi broke his contract with the renowned company “NIKE” in 2006 to sign with “ADIDAS” has gone viral. He reportedly worked for Nike before to 2006 but decided to switch to their rivals Adidas for unimportant reasons.
Even though his then-Spanish team Barcelona was with Nike, Messi had been with Nike since he was 14 years old before switching to Adidas. The specifics of this were published in a recent book by Jonathan Clegg and Joshua Robinson titled “Messi vs. Ronaldo: One Rivalry, Two GOATs, and the Era That Remade the World’s Game.”
According to the book, Nike sponsored the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and Messi even took part in a picture shoot to promote the company. Later on, Messi’s reps called the German firm and asked them to take down the photos because he had signed their competitors.
The book also said that a misconception happened between the player and the company as Messi’s father Jorge Messi’s request for tracksuits was allegedly turned down by Nike when it was a glitch that happened in Nike’s Iberian and South American operations.
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Lionel Messi and his issue with NIKE
The topic was so hotly debated during those years that Nike even brought legal action against Messi and Adidas, saying the player had contracts that were legally enforceable, but the case was unsuccessful. The court worked on a letter of promise that was generated and stated that Messi had officially joined Adidas.
Now that Messi has been spotted sporting Nike t-shirts for both Barcelona and Ligue 1 team Paris Saint-Germain, the then-heated discussions appear to have subsided. He will reportedly wear an Adidas jersey for the forthcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in Qatar.
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Sana Fatima
(129 Articles Published)