Lionel Messi has linked with Ronnie Fieg's Kith and adidas Football for a World Cup-ready collection that treats his legacy like a global design language.
After all, I mean at this point, Messi isn’t really just a footballer, is he? He’s a sound, a silhouette, a shirt number, a thousand commentators losing their minds in a thousand different languages. You don’t need the full sentence, just the name will do.
That is the idea sitting at the heart of Kith & Messi for adidas Football, a new collection landing ahead of the 2026 World Cup that brings together Lionel Messi, Ronnie Fieg and adidas for what is: a full wardrobe built around football’s most universally understood figure.
The collection marks 20 years since Messi first appeared on the world stage, as well as Kith’s 15th anniversary. But rather than simply plastering anniversary badges on a few shirts and calling it a day, Kith and adidas have gone big with performance kit, lifestyle tailoring, footwear, accessories, even limited-edition trading cards.
On the pitch, the collection plays with Messi’s own timeline. Two 2006-inspired jerseys arrive with his original number 19, while two more carry the now-untouchable number 10. Each shirt comes with matching shorts, while the wider football offer includes goalkeeper jerseys, gloves, tracksuits, warm-up pullovers, socks, footballs and a ball bag.
Off the pitch, it shifts into a more Kith-shaped world. There’s a double-breasted suit, a short-sleeve crossover blazer with matching shorts, washed denim, knit polos, wool tracksuits and a leather duffle bag. Very much football, but not necessarily for five-a-side.
Footwear is where things get especially nerdy. The COPA Mundial 17 UltraBOOST returns from Kith and adidas Football’s 2017 link-up, joined by the F50 Megaride, the 2006-referencing F50 Walkable Cleat, two Handball Spezial colourways and a deconstructed Superstar.
The campaign is fronted by Messi himself, including a short film titled The International Language of Messi. Which, to be fair, feels about right. Some names need translating. Messi never has.