Lionel Messi turned down Nike's lucrative offer because they didn't respond to his father's request
Lionel Messi is a global ambassador for Adidas but did you know he almost signed a lucrative deal with Nike?
Had it not been for his father Jorge Mendes, the former Barcelona superstar would have been the poster boy for Nike.
As per excerpts from 'Messi vs. Ronaldo: One Rivalry, Two GOATs, and the Era That Remade the World’s Game', by Jonathan Clegg and Joshua Robinson, Nike missed out on signing Messi because of a 'trivial' issue.
Prior to signing a deal with Adidas, Nike were in talks to take him on. During negotiations, Jorge Mendes had requested more athletic gear from Nike.
Unfortunately, neither their Iberian nor South American operations replied which ended up 'souring the relationship'.
In addition to feeling ignored by Nike, Messi's father also didn't like that they didn't get into a bidding battle with Adidas for his signature.
Eventually, Adidas' bumper contract offer won as the Paris Saint-Germain star signed the dotted line and the rest is history.
Source: Daily Mirror
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