The Impossible Rondo: Messi vs. Messi and His World Cup Boots Across Five Tournaments

Ahead of the 2022 World Cup final, Adidas released a striking video featuring a rondo warm-up between different versions of Lionel Messi. Using real footage from 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018, combined with artificial intelligence and visual effects, the film shows the Argentinian forward at various stages of his career. It highlights the evolution of his haircuts, Argentina shirts, and Adidas boots across five World Cups.

How the “Impossible Rondo” Was Created

Historical and present-day footage of Messi was used to produce de-aged versions of the player. These were applied to body doubles to make the warm-up sequence possible. The result is a visual celebration of 18 years of one of the world’s greatest footballers.

Messi’s World Cup Boots: A Complete Rundown

From left to right as shown in the original image, here is a breakdown of the soccer cleats Messi has worn at each World Cup tournament.

2006 World Cup

Messi wore Adidas F30 TUNiT in an Argentinian white-and-blue colorway. These boots featured custom text on the side: “La mano de Dios” (The Hand of God), a tribute to Diego Maradona.

2010 World Cup

In South Africa, Messi switched to the F50 adizero in the “Chameleon Purple” colorway. He described them as extremely light, saying, “I am amazed at how light the new F50 is; I can barely feel them on my feet.”

2014 World Cup

Messi remained with the F50 adizero range but received a signature pair as part of the Battle Pack. Blue and white detailing across the top was inspired by the Argentinian national colors.

2018 World Cup

For the tournament in Russia, Messi moved to the Nemeziz 18.1 silo in a standard-issue neon green colorway. The side of the boot featured his son’s name, Thiago.

2022 World Cup

Messi won the 2022 World Cup wearing the X Speedportal “Leyenda” edition. The design is inspired by the Adidas F30 boots from 2006. They include a stretchy PRIMEKNIT collar for adaptive support, ultralight comfort, and ease of entry. The upper contains at least 50% recycled content.

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