Messi-Adidas partnership and product launches

The first snapshot reflects on Lionel Messi’s 2006 move from Nike to Adidas, describing it as a historic marketing error for Nike and highlighting Messi’s long‑term, lucrative contract that turned him into a global brand ambassador.

A few days later, the focus shifts to a concrete outcome of that partnership: Adidas unveils a new all‑black Handball Spezial sneaker for Messi, released after Argentina’s World Cup final loss. The product launch underscores the ongoing commercial collaboration and its extension into fashion‑focused footwear.

On 31 July 2026, Messi and Adidas officially unveiled the Messi × Adidas Handball Spezial “Black”, a black‑suede sneaker with silver‑metallic three‑stripe detailing, Pure Ruby accents and a fully black sole, priced at £100. The shoe will be sold via the Confirmed app and select global stockists in autumn. The release follows earlier Messi‑Adidas colourways – baby‑blue and neon‑pink – and is presented as a stylistic shift rather than a reaction to the World Cup loss.

Together, the snapshots trace the evolution from a retrospective assessment of Messi’s brand switch to a current, tangible product rollout under the same sponsorship.