Lionel Messi moved from Nike to Adidas in 2006 after a very trivial request from the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, according to a new book.
Messi is one of the most recognisable athletes in the world, even outside of football, so much so that even Cristiano Ronaldo has been known to talk about his rival whilst looking in the mirror.
It's no surprise that brands would want Messi at the centre of what they do, and would be willing to spend lots of money to get the 36-year-old on board.
Messi is pretty synonymous for his partnership with Adidas and has a lifetime contract but before the 2006 World Cup he'd actually been with their rivals, Nike.Having been with the American company since he turned 14, he dropped them for the German company, despite his then club, Barcelona, being with Nike.
According to a new book, 'Messi vs. Ronaldo: One Rivalry, Two GOATs, and the Era That Remade the World’s Game, by Jonathan Clegg and Joshua Robinson, it was all down to a couple of reasons.
The book, serialised by the Wall Street Journal, claims that Nike were preparing their marketing campaign for the World Cup in Germany, even holding a photo shoot with Messi.
They then received a phone call from the player's representatives asking them to drop the pictures, and that Messi was signing with their rivals.Apparently it was down to a missed request by Nike, who ignored the player's father, Jorge Messi, asking for more tracksuits for the forward.
Nike's Iberian and South American operations failed to get back to Messi snr and that was, so says the book, enough to 'sour' things between player and company.After that their refusal to get into a bidding war with Adidas is said to have further put player and father off staying with the company that had previously sponsored them.
The case actually went to the courts in 2006, with Nike claiming they had a 'binding agreement' with the player, but they the case to Messi and Adidas.Rather than a 'binding agreement,' the Spanish judges found they had a 'commitment letter,' and Messi switched to Adidas officially in February of that year.
The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain has a lifetime contract with Adidas, who have been experiencing unprecedented demand for his Inter Miami shirts - which are now out of stock until October.
Messi also has a deal whereby he gets a chunk of the profits on shirt sales, similar to his arrangement with Apple TV.
According to Forbes, Messi's move across the pond has resulted in Adidas' share prices increasing by 30 percent and market cap rising by around $10 billion.
Comments