02 March 2023 , 09:30
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Lionel Messi has spent £185k to buy 35 personalised gold iPhones for his Argentina World Cup-winning team and members of staff.
Messi scored twice in Argentina’s remarkable World Cup final victory over France and also found the net in the dramatic penalty shootout at the end of the encounter. It ensured Argentina lifted the trophy for the first time since 1986.
The Paris Saint-Germain superstar’s achievements saw him named the best player in the world for 2022 in FIFA’s The Best awards during a glittering ceremony in France on Monday evening as he pipped club teammate Kylian Mbappe to the top prize.
Yet Messi has not only been scooping multiple individual awards but has shown his generous side too as a gesture of thanks to his international teammates whom he led to glory in Qatar.
The Argentinian star commissioned the 24-carat devices for every member of the winning squad alongside members of staff. The gold-plated devices – each had the player’s name and Argentine logo – were delivered to his Parisian apartment on Saturday.
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Ben Lyons, the CEO of the company iDesign Gold, came up with the design alongside Messi. “Lionel is not just the Goat, but he is one of our most loyal customers and he contacted us a couple of months after the World Cup final,” Lyons explained.
Messi spent £185k to have the phones commissioned (INSTAGRAM@https://www.instagram.com/p/CpQqRWQtE0e/)
Each of the phones has their own personal engraving (INSTAGRAM@https://www.instagram.com/p/CpQqRWQtE0e/)Have Your Say! Was Messi a deserving winner of the 2022 award? Tell us what you think here.
"He said that he wanted a special gift to celebrate the incredible victory, but he didn't want the usual gift of watches. So, I suggested gold iPhones inscribed with their names and he loved the idea."
The company wrote on their Instagram account, alongside multiple images of the phones: “It was an honour to deliver 35 gold iPhone 14 (sic) to @leomessi for his teammates and staff as a gift for winning the World Cup final.” With a separate post stating: “35 gold iPhone 14 created for the Argentina squad and staff & delivered to @leomessi.”
Victory in Qatar helped further cement Messi’s legacy as one of the greatest footballers of all time. On the domestic front in 2022, he helped PSG to the Ligue 1 title and scored 17 goals and registered 24 assists in 37 appearances.