Messi gives funny reason why he always embarrasses defenders.

Lionel Messi uncharacteristically dabbled in humour in a recent ad for Adidas, finally telling fans why he enjoys embarrassing defenders on the pitch. 

The 38-year-old Inter Miami star might be past his physical peak, but he is still one of the best dribblers in world football, with only PSG’s Desire Doue recording better dribbling numbers than him before the Herons exited the Club World Cup.

In his prime? He was unparalleled. As the best dribbler of his time, Messi has embarrassed a few players in his day, including goalkeepers. 

The answer in question came in an advertisement for the Adidas F50 boots, which Messi has worn since 2006 and has been at the scene for most of the damage he has inflicted on opposing players; so why not blame the boot? 

That is exactly what they did. The brilliant ad had Messi respond to questions like “Do you deny embarrassing defenders across the world for the last 21 years?” with “F50 made me do it.” 

He also credited the boot for his Ballon d'Ors, his Man of the Match awards and even his World Cup triumph at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. 

Messi is Adidas’s biggest athlete, and he has a lifetime contract with the German sports apparel brand, but he began his career as a Nike athlete. 

As Pulse Sports reported, Messi's boyhood club, Barcelona, are currently in a partnership with Nike lasting over 20 years, a relationship that began in 1998.

So when Messi's talent began to shine in the early 2000s, Nike, the kit maker for his club, became an obvious choice, and according to a report by the Mirror, they were indeed in a partnership with him, a lucrative one at that, which saw them supply him with boots, clothing, and other relevant merchandise.

A book titled 'Messi vs. Ronaldo: One Rivalry, Two GOATs, and the Era That Remade the World’s Game' reveals what ended the relationship between Messi and Nike.  

It claims that Nike were stunned ahead of the 2006 World Cup by Messi and his camp, as they already had a campaign for their stars going into the tournament planned, and it included the former PSG man.

The American sports brand was reportedly informed before the tournament not to include Messi in the campaign they already had a photo shoot with him for, as he already had a deal with 

The reason for this, according to the book, was in part because Nike failed to meet the demands of the footballer's father, who asked for more athletic gear for his son. This made them feel he was not being valued by the brand.