The adidas Samba ‘Messi’ editions were initially revealed in January, but a custom creation from Stepkicks, titled ‘What The Messi,’ has already been released ahead of them. The emblematic Samba has been colorfully customized with the colors of Messi’s kits over the years, and the artist has been granted the opportunity to personally deliver a pair to Messi. In an Instagram post, Stepkicks declared, “Dreams come true.” I never would have guessed that my craft would provide me with the opportunity to design and personally deliver a pair of my customs to the goat himself. Unbelievable.

The shoes are entirely hand-painted and include numerous references to the legendary player, such as his iconic number ten on the outer heel, his logo on the tongue of the right shoe, the World Cup on the tongue of the left shoe, and his children’s names on an inscription on the instep of the right heel. The traditional “Samba” wording has been replaced by “Leo” and “Messi,” which are situated along the midfoot perimeter of the Three Stripes.

This is not the first pair of sneakers to be inspired by this concept; Stepkicks was the first to design a “What the Messi” Nike SB Dunk Low. However, it is unlikely that the customiser from Buenos Aires would have received a favorable response if he had donated them. And so, the Samba was substituted for the canvas, and the outcomes are equally remarkable.

Just days after motivating Spain to victory at the 2024 Euros, Lamine Yamal receives Lionel Messi’s former uniform number at Barcelona

At Barcelona, Lamine Yamal will emulate Lionel Messi by dressing in the Argentine’s former uniform number.

Since his debut in the first team at the age of 15 in April 2023, Yamal has become indispensable for both his club and his country, despite his age.

The 17-year-old made history earlier this month by becoming the youngest ever goalscorer in the annals of the European Championships with a superb strike against France in the semi-final at the age of 16 years and 362 days. He subsequently followed this up with an assist in the final, which inspired Spain to European glory against England on Sunday.

Yamal previously wore the No. 27 for Barcelona; however, he will now wear the No. 19, which was previously worn and made famous by Messi. Messi wore the No. 19 jersey for the Catalans from 2005 to 2008 before transitioning to the No. 10 shirt.

The jersey was previously worn by Sergio Aguero during his brief tenure at Barcelona, as well as Patrick Kluivert during the 1998-99 season.

Vitor Roque, who joined Barca in January, wore the No. 19 jersey last season; however, his future at the club is uncertain.

Yamal, who has only recently turned 17 on Saturday, has had an extraordinary year, and he appears entirely at ease on the grand stage.

Yamal’s reputation has been further solidified by his frequent torment of opponents during the Euros, and he will now return to Barca.After a season in which he scored seven goals and provided ten assists in 51 appearances for Barcelona, he was awarded the Euro 2024 youth player of the tournament.

After winning all of their group games, Spain emerged as the best team in Group B. They subsequently defeated Georgia, Germany, and France on their way to the final.