Since his emergence into Major League Soccer, by the hand of David Beckham in mid-2023, Lionel Messi He is considered one of the central athletes in the American sports ecosystem. In it InterMiami, The captain of the Argentine national team was received as what he is, a world champion and one of the most awarded international footballers of all time. Whether playing at home or away, the player from Rosario is the focus of the public’s attention in every match.
For this reason, it is not surprising that the athlete of the year, according to the magazine Time, be chosen to star in the beer advertisement in the live broadcast of the most popular sporting event in the United States: the SuperBowl. The brand Michelob Ultra hired “the flea” to be a participant in the commercial that will be broadcast on February 11, at the meeting between Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers. Initially, a preview of the drink’s commercial was shared on the networks, but then the full advertisement was leaked, which lasts a total of 1 minute and 25 seconds.
In the recording, it is shown Lionel Messi, on the beach, approaching a bar to order a beer. But the tap loses pressure and the liquid stops coming out, the bartender tells him that she is going to change the barrel and the soccer player decides to wait. A ball approaches the player’s feet and he begins to demonstrate his skills with different tourists and vacationers. The spot ends with the phrase: “In this #SuperBowl LVIII, Messi shows that it is worth waiting for a superior light beer.”
According to The New York Times, the albiceleste captain received significant compensation of 14 million dollars for his participation in the Michelob Ultra advertising video. Of course, this was not his only publicity. The sports star has been making several television commercials throughout his sports career. In an advertising compendium, from his career at Barcelona to the present, Lionel Messi can be seen as the image chosen by the world’s biggest brands. The most famous advertisements starring the Argentine soccer player.
In 2021, Hard Rock, the restaurant, entertainment and hospitality brand; celebrated his 50th anniversary and in that context, had announced an exclusive agreement with the footballer. At that moment, whoever was the star of Barcelona, became the first athlete to collaborate with the network. For this reason, a spectacular commercial was presented in which it shows the man from Rosario dressed as a rock star.
With the hashtag #VIVEHOY, Lionel Messi starred in an international advertisement for the Pepsi soft drink brand. Playing a little game with a can of the brand, the athlete is imitated in different parts of the world. A commercial developed for the 2014 FIFA World Cup played in Brazil.
Without a doubt, one of the most original. Adidas surprised with its advertising for the 2022 FIFA World Cup starring the multiverse of Lionel Messi, showing him at different ages and moments in his career. In this commercial from the Qatar World Cup you can see the award-winning soccer player in the different stages of his life, but with the peculiarity of seeing all the Messis at the same time.
“They say that Messi speaks little,” This is how the Gatorade advertising begins, in which you see the captain of Barcelona staring straight at the camera. In a compendium of cut images of different matches of the Catalan team, complemented with recorded images of children playing with a ball, the official sponsoring drink of the culé team kept the Argentine as a representative of the brand.
No one would ever think to see Lionel Messi playing cricket. But that was the idea that Herbalife’s creatives had, for the young Argentine, with the Blaugrana shirt, to star in the product’s commercial. A different advertisement, with a certain touch of humor, but which shows that the Argentine can succeed in all sports on the planet.
Continuing with the field of humor, the player won the applause with an advertisement for Lays potato chips. In many spots for the snack brand, Lionel Messi is presented with a certain humor and in absurd situations. On this occasion, many fans ask him to take a selfie, but in that request, there are hidden intentions.
Confusing Messi with a pop singer or an actor from a vampire series is something that few people believe can happen. However, the creatives of the Bimbo brand decided to create a situation like this, the player in search of lactal bread is approached by a mother who asks for an autograph.
A plane trip, two sports legends and a challenge: to be the first to sign the ball to a child. Lionel Messi, along with the basketball player Kobe Bryant (who died in a flight accident in 2020), were the celebrities who starred in the advertising of the Turkish Airlines airline.
Finally, Gillete, from a more technical and technological point of view, contemplated using the sports star’s face “for a close shave.”
