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Journalism of Courage
Argentina forward Lionel Messi will compete in his final World Cup in Qatar in 2022. Fans will be hoping for the star footballer to win the prestigious trophy that has eluded him throughout his incredible career. The PSG star scored in Argentina’s 5-0 win over the United Arab Emirates in the final World Cup warmup match.
Other than his goal and assist, the game’s other standouts included his ‘golden boots.’ The former Barcelona legend’s golden “Adidas X Messi 2022 World Cup Speedportal boots” caught everyone’s attention, with many fans speculating that the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner is about to work his charm in Qatar.
https://twitter.com/wc22updates/status/1592974509745004547
“Messiah ready for that World Cup”
“Bring on Saudi Arabia,” fans noted on Twitter.
The colour of the trophy, Messi’s form and style serve as the inspiration for the Golden Boots. The boots can easily be compared to his vintage Adidas F50s from a few years back.
A 29-year-old Paraguayan artist, Lili Cantero has painted intricate and personal soccer boots for star Messi. The Asuncion-born artist is painting some two dozen sets of boots, balls and canvases, many inspired by the Middle Eastern nation and its capital Doha, which will host national teams from around the world next month to compete for the World Cup crown.
Cantero made a name for herself painting soccer boots, including a pair she sent to Argentine star Lionel Messi when he was playing at Barcelona, lovingly detailed with a gallery of black and white images of the striker and his family. She hadn’t known if he would even receive them, but to her surprise she received a photo of Messi, one of the world’s best soccer players, holding the boots. That marked a turning point for Cantero at a time she had almost decided to stop painting.
“Messi’s boots marked a before and after,” said Cantero, who wants to create her own sportswear brand and bring Paraguayan art to major global events. “It was a nice moment because thanks to that many doors were opened and my career really started.”
The boots will be presented within 3D structures that reproduce the eight stadiums that Qatar built for the World Cup in Doha, Lusail, Rayyan, Al Khor and Al Wakrah. The remaining series will combine elements of Qatari and Paraguayan cultures. “I have been working on this for three years and it is a great pride for me to represent my country at this World Cup,” Cantero said.
“In Latin America, football is lived with a great passion and that influenced me a lot. Since I was a girl, I have been living football… it is something that I always liked as well as art and so I found a way to connect the two things”.
