Adidas is leaning into the soccer heritage of its trendy Samba sneaker by doing up a pair for the greatest player of all time.
Lionel Messi is getting a Samba to call his own, providing a rare opportunity for fans to display their allegiance on their feet away from the pitch. The upper’s white, purple, and grey color scheme takes after the Argentina men’s national team’s away kit from 2022, which was also made by Adidas and intended to represent gender equality. Messi-specific detailing is kept simple, as his own logo appears on the tongue in neon yellow. Rounding out the shoe is a translucent gum cupsole.
Messi has been an Adidas athlete since 2006 and inked a lifetime deal with the brand in 2017. On the pitch, he’s headlined a number of Adidas’ boots (or cleats) throughout his career, including his own signature models in 2016 and 2017. Signature shoes aren’t really standard for superstars in soccer the way they are in basketball, with player-specific boot colorways as their most common footwear tie.
That same formula is essentially being replicated with Messi’s Samba, and while the average sneakerhead may find it underwhelming, it should certainly be enough to celebrate La Pulga’s rabid worldwide fanbase.
Reputable Twitter/X sneaker leaker Brandon1an first reported the Lionel Messi x Adidas Samba and said it’ll release some time in the spring. Further details have yet to be revealed, and this post will be updated as more information becomes available.
Ian Servantes is a Senior Trending News Editor for Footwear News specializing in sneaker coverage. He’s previously reported on streetwear and sneakers at Input and Highsnobiety after beginning his career on the pop culture beat. He subscribes to the idea that “ball is life” and doesn’t fuss over his kicks getting dirty.
