In-Depth: Messi's Camouflaged Adidas Boots

Lionel Messi is one of the greatest footballers of all time, and so it is no surprise that he gets special treatment from Adidas. We take a closer look at Messi's custom-made 2023 Adidas X Speedportal football boots.

Messi's new 2023 signature football boots make it much harder to see the modifications than more clean colorways, but if you look closely, you will also identify the main customizations on his current cleats.

The design of his current signature boots make it hard to see these modifications

Custom Adidas Messi Speedportal 2023 Football Boots

Messi's boots are custom modified by Adidas to suit his specific needs and preferences. There are some visible and hidden custom features that make Messi's boots truly one-of-a-kind.

The most modifications are not visible

In case you are wondering - Messi is wearing a UK8 / US8.5 size, as visible in pictures of his match-worn boots.

Custom Tongue

One of the most noticeable differences between Messi's boots and the standard Adidas X Speedportal.1 football boots is the tongue. Messi's boots have a custom feature called a "burrito tongue" that is connected to the upper of the shoe on one side only. This allows Messi to get a better fit and feel on the ball, as well as providing added stability and support.

Custom Upper

The upper of Messi's boots is also customized to his liking. It appears to be made of a flexible synthetic leather-like material that reminds us of the SprintSkin upper of the Adizero III from 2013. The upper is so soft and sits so close that Messi's toes can easily be seen as they stretch the upper. This gives Messi better control and touch on the ball.

Custom Stud Config

Messi's boots also have a custom stud configuration that is different from any current Adidas boot, 100% custom-made for Messi (Gambatrax). This allows him to have better traction and grip on the field, giving him the ability to change direction and accelerate quickly.

While the stud configuration is custom, the overall construction of the soleplate is not, including the external heel counters. Both are taken from the new Adidas X Speedportal.1 boots. Messi probably likes this newly developed soleplate for its performance-enhancing features.

Other Custom Messi Elements

While the above three modifications are visible from match pictures alone, there are many hidden tech personalizations for Messi, of course alongside the usual player id for the player's family.

Hidden modifications include custom-made insoles, a wider boot shape in the forefront, and a hidden additional heel counter.

Custom Adidas X Speedportal Messi Boots - Features (via bcboots)

Match-worn cleats retail at more than 10,000 GBP

In case you want to get a custom-made Messi boot - match-worn boots of Messi retail at more than 10,000 GBP, and we are sure that prices will not fall.

Messi's boots apparently have very high importance for the Argentinan - the match-worn 2022 World Cup final boots were secured by his wife Antonella.

Do you think all high-profile Adidas players receive this treatment by Adidas (and request so many changes? Let us know in the comments below.

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