FIFA World Cup 2022: Adidas releases brilliant 'Famous Five' Messi ad

Lionel Messi

Adidas Football has released a new ad campaign to celebrate Argentina's Lionel Messi's World Cup legacy. The clip shows Messi playing against the four previous versions of himself, which is a nod to his four World Cup appearances. The diminutive Argentine is playing in his fifth, and most likely last, World Cup for Argentina which signals an end of an era.

what is better than one Leo Messi? x Leo Messi

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In our family, impossible is what we do. #ImpossibleIsNothing pic.twitter.com/H2X4ckOPi3

— adidas Football (@adidasfootball) November 18, 2022

Titled the "Impossible Rondo", the ad celebrates Messi throughout the World Cup editions by featuring different shots of his previous avatars enjoying a kickabout with his current self. From the long-haired 19-year-old prodigy to the clean-shaven 35-year-old Messiah, the brilliant clip takes fans down memory lane.

A statement on Adidas's official website reads: "Combining real footage of the Argentinian forward from 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018, Adidas makes the impossible, possible with a one-of-a-kind Messi vs Messi rondo warm up. Created using the latest in artificial intelligence and VFX, the film showcases the last 18 years of the world’s greatest player, celebrating his achievements in an unexpected way."

Adidas, who sponsor Messi and the Argentina football team, further said: "Complete with his haircuts, Argentina shirts and Adidas boots across the previous five tournaments, historical and present-day footage of Messi was used to produce the different, de-aged versions of him. This was then applied to body doubles to allow the ‘impossible’ warm-up to come to life."

Messi and Argentina are in Group C and kick off their campaign against Saudi Arabia on November 22, Wednesday, at 3:30 pm IST.