Global Scope: The Lionel Messi Line

Different people have different theories as to why soccer has never "made it" in the United States of America. Some people say that it is because soccer players are great actors, who dive throughout the game urging the referees to call fouls which did not happen. Others say it is because there isn't a strong local league to back the fans who love the game. Whatever theory you may argue, I'm sure that it is a valid one but this isn't exactly what's at hand here.


Knowing that the United States is an important market, even for soccer, Adidas is moving to launch a range of soccer gear inspired on FC Barcelona's player Lionel Messi.



Lionel Messi is arguably the best soccer player in the world today, playing for FC Barcelona and representing his native Argentina internationally. The 25 year old born in the city of Rosario collects an impressive title list: 5 Spanish Leagues, 3 UEFA Champions League, 2 FIFA Club World Cups, 5 Spanish Super cups, 2 "Copas del Rey," and 2 UEFA Super Cups. Aside from his 19 honors with FC Barcelona, Messi has been awarded the Ballon d'Or 4 times in a row (2009 - 2012) for his individual performances on the pitch. However, Messi has yet to conquer the biggest stage in the world playing for Argentina: The FIFA World Cup.

After a few years of collecting unimpressive performances for his national side and being criticized by a fierce Argentine media, Messi has tacked on some majestic appearances and created new hope for 2014. His latest top performance came on a World Cup Qualifier against Uruguay on October 12, where he went on to score 2 goals on a 3-0 defeat. Prior to that match he had already notched two separate 3-goal performances against Brazil and Switzerland, defeating both teams by 3-1 and 4-3 respectively.

Seeing that this may be Lionel Messi at the prime of his career, Adidas is working to capitalize on the young superstar's game. "After setting a scoring world record and winning his fourth consecutive FIFA Ballon d'Or, Lionel Messi has truly earned icon status in the world of sports," said Ernesto Bruce, director of soccer for adidas America. "We are proud to celebrate Messi's accomplishments with a signature collection showcasing technology and design that mirror his ferocious speed and natural, fluid style of play. The adidas Messi collection brings together the best in performance technology with world class design."

On the sole, a single red stud stands out amongst 10 white studs. It represents Messi alongside his teammates.

Lionel Messi has been thoroughly involved in every single aspect of the two-year development of his signature range. That included 10 major testing rounds, and heavy analysis of his natural movements on the field of play. According to Adidas, Messi's input, personality, and instincts led the design of his adizero F50 collection which weighs 5.8 ounces (among the lightest ever cleats).

The adizero F50 cleat highlights his signature Adidas performance collection, which includes a black and matte silver woven jacket, training jersey, short and graphic tee, all featuring his logo & mantra "give all for your team."

With the creation of Lionel Messi's brand new Adidas line and adizero cleats, the sports apparel giant is hoping to leave a mark in the American soccer market. A market that has been virtually unexplored and historically cluttered with the presence of the English Premier League.

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Kevis Georgakopoulos Pinto is a native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and is working toward his undergraduate degree in Sport Management at Drexel University. In the past year and a half, since moving to the United States, Kevis has been very active in entering the sports business world. He has gained experience in doing research at the UEFA Euro 2012 tournament in Poland, and is now interning at Comcast SportsNet’s marketing department.  Follow Kevis on Twitter @kevisgp.

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