Nike signed Messi when he was 14. They lost him over a few hundred dollars worth of tracksuits, a mistake now estimated at $10 billion in brand value.
In 2005, Messi's father Jorge asked Nike for some extra tracksuits for his son, a routine request from the family of an 18-year-old who had just broken into Barcelona's first team. Nike's Iberian and South American offices both ignored it. He never got a reply.
Adidas was paying attention. They offered around $1 million a year, and Nike refused to match because they didn't want a bidding war over a teenager. They were busy building their 2006 World Cup campaign around established stars.
Once the Adidas deal leaked, Nike panicked and sued in Spanish court, claiming a binding contract. The judges found all Nike had was a "commitment letter" with no legal weight. Messi signed with Adidas in February 2006, and in 2017 they gave him a lifetime deal.
So when he walks out at El Monumental on October 6 for his final Argentina match, in front of 84,000 people, the gold-lettered farewell jersey he revealed today will carry three stripes.
Twenty years, 125 international goals, a World Cup, and every shirt sold along the way. All of it went to Adidas because someone at Nike didn't answer an email about tracksuits.
Ed Sheeran addresses the controversy surrounding Macklemore’s removal from his tour and says, “What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable.”
“Before I play some songs tonight, I hope it’s okay if I say a few words about this last week,” Sheeran said at the top of Saturday’s show. “I’m used to my music being criticized, and I’m always happy to take that because I’m lucky. A lot of you like my stuff, and to be honest, I’m surprised. I’m not surprised that I’ve even done it. You know, it’s normal. But this week, the criticism was about something much more important, and I’ve had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes, and I’m so so sorry.”
Sheeran also said he was “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine,” describing the suffering caused by the war as a “human tragedy,” while explaining that he has generally sought to keep his concerts focused on “unity, joy, escapism, love” rather than his own political views.
https://t.co/vBlnuDhNqL
Whenever I say I hate Laporta, people tell me to stop living in the past because of what happened with Messi.
But this goes way beyond Messi. He has become a disgusting president, behaving more and more like the same ugly politicians we always criticize.
If you genuinely believe he loves Barça more than Messi or the fans who live and breathe this club, then I really don’t know what to tell you.
Barça has approved the agreement with Israeli company Babylon Park, to install and operate a children’s leisure space at the Camp Nou.
Babylon Park is linked to organisations supporting Israeli soldiers, whose attacks on Gaza have killed tens of thousands of Palestinian kids.
As long as Joan Laporta remains president of FC Barcelona, deals with Israeli companies will keep happening.
He has been a strong supporter of Israel and has links to organisations that fund illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
“Imran Khan is not in jail, in solitary confinement for more than three years now because of any corruption or crime. It is because the Pakistani Generals know that if they let him out, he will be carried aloft in the next election on a wave of support to a democratic victory.”- Former British Prime Minister @BorisJohnson
#FreeImranKhan
Mirpuris put belt to ass on fascists on the streets of Britain for decades for equal rights
Mirpuris put belt to ass on the British backed Dogra slavers for Kashmiri rights
Mirpuris changed local industries for the better indefinitely across the UK more than almost any group
No need for this. Mirpuris/Pothwaris are the reason for following
- Halal meat
-Masaajid 🕌 /Idaaras
- Best food spots (US got nothing on Uk)
- Can wear tambi kurta freely
- Fought off racists (no lahori or bihari muhajir 🇮🇳 karachiite had guts to do)
Just to name a few ehsanat
The man. The myth. The legend.
On what would have been his 65th birthday, we remember James Gandolfini, who will always be a defining figure in New Jersey culture.
Those who want respect, give respect. And he’ll always have ours.
Cricket legend Imran Khan is rotting to death in a tiny jail cell in Pakistan. It's time Britain used its influence to help free him
https://t.co/Yf5eCx2fAi