iPhone 15: Apple use Lionel Messi to announce feature at launch event

Argentina star Lionel Messi reportedly featured in Apple’s unveiling of the iPhone 15 and its variants—the next set of devices in the mobile iOS mobile phone series.

The 36-year-old is currently on international duty with Argentina and was involved in one out of Albiceleste’s two wins in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier this window.

Messi was not named in the squad for Scaloni’s men’s triumph over Bolivia yesterday, and last played in the 1-0 victory over Ecuador five days ago, but this has not prevented him from topping the trends on social media, albeit for non-footballing reasons.

A major Apple event took place yesterday, as the next set of iPhone devices was announced. The American mobile phone company are rolling out the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max devices and as is customary, the announcement was made with a grand showcase.

One of the features of these new devices—which is carried over from the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max—is the Dynamic Island, ”a nifty little pill-shaped widget near the top of the display that could change shape depending on user needs, like for displaying notifications," as Mashable defines it.

The feature was only available for the pro versions of the iPhone 14 but will be available on all variants of the iPhone 15.

In announcing the notification function of the feature at the event, a goal alert showing Lionel Messi’s eight-minute strike against Atalanta was reportedly displayed.

The tech corporation is one of the major sponsors of the Major League Soccer (MLS), owning the global streaming rights for the league, which they broadcast via Apple TV+.

They are said to be integral in convincing Messi to opt for Inter Miami amid interest from Barcelona and Al-Hilal, by offering him a share of streaming revenue generated by his presence in the league.

They seem to be capitalising on this relationship, with the reported use of the player in their device launch.