15 years ago, a young man from the Argentinian city of Rosario took to the pitch for his professional debut, and the rest, as they say, is history. To celebrate that iconic moment that kicked off a legacy adidas have released the special edition ‘Messi 15 Years’ Nemeziz, which features a design that nods to some of the many remarkable moments from the great man’s illustrious career.
Based on the Nemeziz 19.1 model – Messi’s favoured option – the ‘Messi 15 Years’ Nemeziz features white and blue hues across the upper in what is an obvious tribute to Messi’s Argentinian roots. It’s then adorned with touches of gold through the split soleplate and Three Stripes on the heel, together acknowledging the countless trophies that he's won over the course of his decorated playing career. This is further elaborated on with the presence of a ‘five dot’ detail on the left foot, which represents his five Ballon d’Ors, along with his personal ‘M’ logo on the right.
The nods don’t end there, a lot has happened in those 15 years. In honour of it being his preferred foot, the boot’s left sock liner is emblazoned with a ’10’ – doesn’t need explaining, right? – while the right sock liner features the number ’30’, the number he wore for his debut. The right boot also features the words ‘82nd min – 16-10-2004’ on the forefront in honour of the date and time that Messi stepped onto a professional football pitch for the first time in an away fixture against Espanyol. There is also a ’15 AÑOS’ print on the arch to highlight his 15 years as a professional player.
Rather than celebrating Messi's most recent personal accolade in the FIFA Best Player Award which Messi picked up recently, adidas have instead decided to honour his debut and his subsequent achievements. 604 goals in 692 appearances, along with 233 assists, all of which have contributed to 10 La Liga titles, 6 Copa del Reys, 4 Champions League and three Club World Cups. Yeah, not a bad effort.
Pick up the adidas 'Messi 15 Years' Nemeziz 19.1 from prodirectsoccer.com
