Following Lionel Messi’s remarkable and record-extending eighth Ballon d’Or win, adidas has commissioned the construction of eight iconic, 14 karat gold ‘championship’ rings. Each ring features a unique design that honors Leo’s achievements from a specific Ballon d’Or win. These rings will be presented to Messi after he breaks the record for most Ballon d’Or wins in a single career.
In the latter part of this year, each ring will be put up for auction, and the revenues from the sale will be donated to charitable organizations chosen by Messi and adidas.
Additional information regarding the rings is as follows:
The enchantment of Leo Messi’s rise to become the greatest football player of all time is brought to life via the rings’ complex design intricacies.
2009 – El Beso (The Bear)
The ring that Leo received after winning the Ballon d’Or for the first time features his now-famous boot kiss celebration that he did during the Champions League Final in 2009. After leaping to head in the second of the two goals that sealed glory for Barcelona over Manchester United at the Stadio Olimpico, his adidas F50i boot came off. This was the second of the two goals that Barcelona scored.
In addition to the event being written around the image on the top of the ring (Lionel Messi – Champions League Final – Stadio Olimpico), ‘El Beso’ is carved on the side of the ring, as is Leo’s famous number 10.
2010 – Step into the heavens
This ring is a memorial to Leo’s now-iconic goal celebration, in which he looks upwards in memory of his late grandmother, who was an important figure in Leo’s early life and had a significant impact on his development.
Around the image on the top of the ring is inscribed “Apunta al cielo,” which translates to “point to the sky” in Spanish. Additionally, the Roman numerals MMX denote the year 2010 in the English language. On the sides, the letters LX, which are the Roman numerals for sixty, are a reference to the amount of goals that Leo scored in 2010, and a modest wreath that is drawn from the Argentine national coat of arms is an additional respect to his background.
2011 – The Greatest Year Ever.
After winning the Ballon d’Or for a record-tying third time in a row in 2011, many fans began to consider Leo the best player of all time.
This ring commemorates that achievement with a design depicting a goat rearing up onto its hind legs while encircled by the words “Lionel Messi.” “The Goat.” This is emphasized even further by the ring’s side, which features a prominent inscription that reads, “G.O.A.T.”
2012 – El Año
This ring is a tribute to the record-breaking year of objectives that Leo achieved. The imposing number ’91’, which is encircled by 91 miniature footballs and located on the top of the ring, is a tribute to the total number of goals that Leo scored in 2012 for both club and country.
Many fans refer to “The Year” that Leo created history by scoring more goals than anyone else has ever done in a single calendar year as “El Ao,” which is inscribed into the side of the ring. This is because Leo scored more goals than anyone else has ever scored in a single calendar year.
2015 will be the year of the Fourth Champions League.
Every footballer has the same goal: to win a championship in Europe. The four trophies and the inscription that circles the top of this ring are allusions to the fact that Leo won the Champions League for the fourth time (in Spanish, “cuarta”) while playing for Barcelona.
The four years that he won are inscribed in Roman numerals (2006, 2009, 2011, and 2015), and the word “Campeón” is engraved on the side of the ring to refer to the true champion that Leo Messi had become. This serves as a frame for the information.
2019 will mark the 6th year of the European Golden Boot award.
Leo’s victory in 2019 for a record sixth European Golden Boot award is being commemorated by the placement of six adidas boots atop this ring, which is also adorned with six footballs and the inscription “IIIIII Bota de Oro Europea.”
The years that Leo won the award are etched into the top edge of the trophy (2010, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019), and the number of league goals he scored in each of the seasons he won the award is shown on the sides of the trophy (34 in 2009–10, 50 in 2011–12, 46 in 2012–13, 37 in 2016–17, 34 in 2017–18, and 36 in 2018–19).
The First International Trophy Will Be Given Out in 2021
This ring commemorates the moment when Leo and Argentina won the Copa América in 2021 and finally obtained the glory they had been searching for. In honor of Argentina’s triumph against Brazil, the national emblem, known as El Sol de Mayo (Spanish for “the May Sun”), is depicted above the South American continent, encircled by the team’s nickname, “La Albiceleste,” which translates to “the white and sky blues.”
In Roman numerals, the date of the triumph, July 10, 2021, is etched into the outer edge of the ring, and on the side, the words “Campeón sudamericano” are engraved. Campeón sudamericano translates to “South American Champion.” Underneath this, a sign of shaking hands from the Argentine national coat of arms refers to the unity of the team that delivered Argentina its fifteenth Copa América victory – the nation’s first since 1993. This was the first time Argentina had won the tournament since 1993.
Winner of the World Cup in 2023
Leo’s ability to motivate Argentina to win their third World Cup in Qatar in 2022 is represented by the three stars that are positioned above this ring. This could be considered the most lyrical and defining moment of his 2023 Ballon d’Or victory, in which he was selected the tournament’s best player and awarded the Golden Ball.
This image is surrounded by the phrase “Campeón del Mundo 2022,” which translates to “World Cup Champion,” in Spanish. The two figures that stand on either side of the ring reflect the figures that are seen on the Fifa World Cup Trophy holding up the globe.
