Lionel Messi is now an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, and to honour that achievement he has gifted a golden ‘GOATorade’ bottle to his first club.
WHAT HAPPENED?
The all-time great, who is a World Cup winner and the most decorated player in history, could never have imagined that he would scale such heights when starting out in humble surroundings at Rosario-based side A. Grandoli F.C.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Having risen to the very top of the world game, becoming football’s GOAT in the process, the Argentine superstar has made a point of recognising the efforts of those that put him on the path to greatness. A one-off ‘G.O.A.T.orade’ bottle has been produced in his honour, which is made from gold and contains soil from A. Grandoli’s pitch.
WHAT MESSI HAS SAID
Messi has said when offering a nod towards the club that allowed him to start turning dreams into reality: “I fell in love with football when I was four years old playing in my hometown Rosario. Thanks to @Gatorade for bringing all the great memories of my boyhood with this gift.”
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MESSI?
Gatorade say the bottle is “one of a kind, just like Messi himself” and it will be sent to the A. Grandoli F.C. team and staff. The South American icon will be hoping that he has more history-making exploits left in him before the day comes to hang up his boots, with the evergreen 36-year-old currently starring for Inter Miami in MLS while enhancing his record-breaking collections of caps and goals with Argentina.
