5 interesting things we learned from Lionel Messi's majestic shirt collection

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi put his majestic jersey collection on display for his Instagram followers yesterday. Like anyone would expect, being one of the greatest players of all time, the Argentine was certainly going to have the shirts of some of the greatest to have graced the game.

However, like anything that he does on the field which is put under the scanner, we have analyzed his collection and have noted some very interesting things. Here are 5 interesting things we learned from Lionel Messi’s jersey collection:

1 Why are Messi’s Barcelona shirts turned backside?

 

Messi is sponsored by Adidas and by the looks of it, the picture has been taken as part of an Adidas campannnign or  something similar, given that the 29- year-old is  seen     wearing a shirt by the global merchandising giant. All of  Messi’s Barcelona shirts, 3 to be precise, are hung in a manner with the backside facing the camera.

This is probably done with the intention to hide the Nike logo featured on all of these jerseys. As is well-known, Barcelona are sponsored by Adidas’ biggest and most fierce rivals – Nike – and as such the three-striped brand will never allow their biggest rivals to feature in such an iconic picture.

Interestingly, Messi’s Argentina jersey, which are sponsored by Adidas, have their front facing the camera – which helps endorse the brand’s iconic ‘three-stripe’ logo.

2 Pavel Nedved’s shirt and the importance of the occasion

Pavel Nedved’s shirt can be seen on display in ashowcase on the roof of the room which houses Messi’s enormous collection of shirts, along with the jerseys of Thierry Henry, Deco, Cesc Fabregas and others.  However, at first you can’t actually recall when  the two played against each other. That is because the two haven’t faced each other in a competitive matchespecially not the UEFA Champions League.

However, there is one instance when the two have taken to the field together, in a Joan Gamper trophy match in August of 2005, when Lionel Messi was no household  name and instead was unheard of in most parts of the  world. 

It was that game against Fabio Capello’s Juventus that   he first showcased his brilliance to the world and caught  the eye of one and all. Messi dazzled against the stars  of Juventus and captivated those watching so much that  Capello requested Barcelona if he could take the 18-year-old on loan, while Inter Milan were ready to pay his buyout clause. The diminutive Argentine received a  standing ovation from the Camp Nou crowd while the Juventus manager declared that he had never seen a player that good at that age.

"In my entire life I have never seen a player of such quality and personality at such a young age, particularly wearing the 'heavy' shirt of one of the world's great clubs." ~ Fabio Capello

It is possibly after this match that Messi exchanged jerseys with the 2003 Ballon d’Or winner.

3 Notable absentees

A quick look at the picture and you would realize that many household names from the world of football, including legendary Barcelona players and a certain Real Madrid legend are missing (Not Cristiano Ronaldo).

Messi is understood to be close friends with Neymar and has always shared an excellent relationship with his teammates, mentors and good friends – Xavi and Andres Iniesta, so it is surprising that the trio are missing from the collection.

Not only that, Ronaldinho – who helped Messi settle into the Barcelona dressing room and the team has also been given a miss.

In a recent interview, the Barcelona sensation had claimed that he is not particularly fond of exchanging jerseys and has almost never asked an opposition player for their shirts, but for one occasion. 

“I don’t ask for shirts. If there is an Argentine, I will swap with an Argentine.“If not and there is someone else that asks me, I will swap it with them. If not, I do not look and  do not ask.’“I asked, once…I asked Zidane.” ~ Lionel   Messi

It is surprising that despite having accepted that the  Real Madrid legend is the only footballer he has ever asked to swapped shirts with, Zidane’s jersey is nowhere to be seen in the majestic collection, maybe Zizou didn’t oblige Messi’s request. However, that  seems unlikely.

Did you notice who else was missing – Zlatan Ibrahimovic bizarrely and Gonzalo Higuain understandably.

4 Why is Cristiano Ronaldo not there?

A rivalry that has defined an era, two god-gifted footballers who have re-written history books in a decade of absolute dominance, while pushing each other to their absolute limits. It is not that surprising that Cristiano Ronaldo’s jersey is not present in Messi’s collection but why is it not there?

It is not like the duo are sworn enemies as the media would have you believe but it is also not that they are the best of friends. They respect each other’s work and aspire to be the best at what they do. Even this doesn’t answer why Ronaldo’s jersey is nowhere to be seen.

Well, the answer to that lies in the statement that Messi gave about swapping shirts. He has never asked a player, bar Zidane, for their jersey and in what condition or scenario or in which universe, would Cristiano Ronaldo ask Messi for his shirt? They may not be enemies but then again they don’t fancy each other so much also, apart from Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. who is a Messi fan.

The answer to the question why Ronaldo does not feature in Messi’s majestic collection is because the duo have never actually exchanged jerseys. And to be fair,  why would they?

 5 Pablo Aimar

 

In the first row of jerseys, between two Messi shirts (i.e between the orange Barcelona one and the blue Barcelona one) is the jersey of one, Pablo Aimar. The wizard, as he was nicknamed, is certainly not a player of the popularity or the pedigree of say a Xavi, a Raul, or a Zidane, but still occupies such a significant place in Lionel Messi’s life, as is visible by the placement ofhis jersey but why is it so, you ask?

Well, if you have followed Messi through the years you probably already know the answer to this question. However, for the uninitiated, Aimar was Messi’s idol growing up and the 5-time Ballon d’Or might have outdone and outshone his idol, but when all is said and done – football is a game of emotions and your idol always holds a special place in your heart.