The 2022 FIFA World Cup is just around the corner, and with it comes the surreal realization that this will be the fifth and final tournament for Lionel Messi.
La Pulga, one of, if not the best player to have graced the beautiful game, admitted that Qatar 2022 will be his last World Cup, meaning it is now or never for the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner.
And as a result, Adidas, one of the Argentine's biggest sponsors, has released a brilliant ad to celebrate this milestone moment in the attacker's career. The German corporation posted a lovely video via their official Twitter page which features five – yes, five! – Messis.
Of course, only one is real, but the PSG star is joined by four different versions of himself from the four previous FIFA World Cups he featured in. And the icing on the cake: the five Messis pass the ball around to the iconic "life is life" song by Opus, which Maradona famously warmed up to at Napoli back in 1989. Check out the ad below.
what is better than one Leo Messi? x Leo Messi
— adidas Football (@adidasfootball) November 18, 2022
In our family, impossible is what we do. #ImpossibleIsNothing pic.twitter.com/H2X4ckOPi3
Adidas also did a lovely rendition of that hilarious Spiderman meme
— adidas Football (@adidasfootball) November 19, 2022
But that's not all Adidas did to commemorate Leo's fifth and final FIFA World Cup. The company also unveiled new special edition boots that La Pulga will sport in Qatar, inspired by the shoes he wore during his World Cup debut at Germany 2006.
Messi's new signature World Cup boots pic.twitter.com/f97Uw1yvtG
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 18, 2022
Will the Barcelona legend bow out of this prestigious tournament by lifting the trophy? The attacker came close in 2014, with La Albiceleste losing 1-0 to Germany in the final before disappointing in the 2018 edition. However, Scaloni's men are seen as the favorites for the first time in years this time around, partly due to their 2021 Copa America success and their 2022 Finalissima victory over Euro 2022 champions Italy.
The South American giants kick off their campaign on November 22, taking on Saudi Arabia in their opening match. Messi and Co. will also do battle with Mexico and Poland in the race to win Group C.
