No Offence, Cristiano! Adidas Declares Messi King of the Ball and Releases New Signature Boots

Adidas has inadvertently entered the lists on the debate about whether Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo is the greatest footballer of them all in the whole history of the game. The sportswear giant has released a new pair of boots dedicated to the Argentine superstar and called them "Rey del Balon", which means "King of the Ball".

The special-edition boots include such embellishments as Messi’s name and the athlete’s signature logo in orange, yellow and black. They also have a V-shaped tension tape collar, offering increased ankle support, and Adidas’ Torsion System and split outsole help to maintain balance at high speed.

Messi has already tried the boots after he appeared on the pitch during Barcelona’s latest game against Real Sociedad. The boots are now available for the public to order on Adidas' website.

According to Spanish media, the sportswear giant released the new signature boots to celebrate the records set by the athlete in the 2020/21 season. In December 2020 the Argentine superstar overtook another legendary footballer - Pele - in the number of goals scored for a single club, and in March he set an absolute record for the number of matches played for Barcelona. At the time of writing, the Argentine has appeared in 768 matches for Barcelona and scored 663 goals for the club.