adidas Football couldn't have written a better ending to the 2026 World Cup™. Spain and Argentina—two nations it's manufactured kits for since 1991 and 2001, respectively—are set to battle it out on Sunday, July 19. To make matters better, both squads include two key athletes in global football in Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi. They both wear adidas F50 boots.
It's hard to argue, then, that the Three Stripes hasn't already won the 2026 World Cup™ Final before the match takes place in New Jersey's MetLife Stadium.
(It's funny to point out that, had France and England beaten Spain and Argentina in their respective Semi-Finals matches, Nike Football would've been the kit manufacturer of both Finalists.)
adidas couldn't have predicted that it'd be at the center of what will surely go down as one of the most important World Cup™ tournaments of all-time—which was played with the adidas Trionda Match Ball—but that sure didn't stop it from betting big on its partners.
On July 15, 2024, the official @adidasFootball Instagram account posted a photo that depicted a mature goat and young kid with copy aptly reading "THE GOAT AND THE KID." The ad positioned Messi as the veteran star who's done enough in his career to earn him wide consideration as football's "Greatest of All-Time" (G.O.A.T.). Lamime Yamal, having just turned 17 two days earlier, was imagined as "THE KID" ready to take over the top spot once "THE GOAT" hung up his F50 boots.
The ad also includes a marble podium that sees the numbers "10" and "19" etched into it as nods to Messi and Lamine Yamal's jerseys. As history shows it, the Argentine debuted in the 2006 World Cup™ with a number 19 jersey, further connecting his story with Lamine Yamal's. And, let's not forget the fact that both players were formed in FC Barcelona's famed La Masia academy and proudly represented the "Blaugrana."
July 19 might be the final time Messi and Lamine Yamal meet each other on-the-pitch, but their first encounter off of it dates back to December 2007—one captured by a photo that's gone viral over the last week.
Yes, that photo of Messi bathing a baby Lamine Yamal is real; it was taken by Joan Monfort in December 2007 as part of a charity calendar organized by Barça and UNICEF. The Spanish footballer was just 5 or 6 months old at the time.
Neither of them could've guessed they'd become FC Barcelona stars, sign massive deals with adidas, and face off in the 2026 World Cup™ Final, but that's how the story's panned out.
Lionel Messi has been an adidas Athlete since February 2006. What began as a 5-year contract with the brand turned into a lifetime deal in February 2017. This has given way to frequent adidas Messi collections spanning performance and lifestyle product. Messi's number 10 Argentina jerseys have also been some of the brand's most-popular items, regularly selling out.
Lamine Yamal has only been signed to the Three Stripes since Feb. 26, 2024, but the brand has already chosen him as one of its next big bets. He has his own adidas logo, occasionally gets his own ICON product, and consistently stars in marketing campaigns for adidas Originals, positioning the teenager as a star on and off-the-pitch.
Spain and Argentina's 2026 Home and Away jerseys were amongst the World Cup™'s top-selling shirts. The quartet of designs was well-received even before Lamine Yamal, Messi, and teammates debuted the kits on-pitch. The adidas design team might never admit it, but it surely feels added pressure whenever putting together jerseys for Spain and Argentina given both nations' status in global football, winning legacy, and passionate fan bases.
Although much attention is understandably paid to "THE GOAT AND THE KID," other important endorsers of the Three Stripes include:
- Pedri (Spain)
- Dani Olmo (Spain)
- David Raya (Spain)
- Martín Zubimendi (Spain)
- Mikel Marino (Spain)
- Julián Álvarez (Argentina)
- Rodrigo De Paul (Argentina)
- Alexis Mac Allister (Argentina)
- Emiliano Martinez (Argentina)
- Cristian Romero (Argentina)
- Nico Paz (Argentina)
These players will continue to promote adidas well after the 2026 World Cup™ Final in New Jersey.
Who will win between Spain and Argentina on Sunday? Audiences across the globe seem pretty evenly-split. In either case, the match makes for a great football story given that it could mark Messi bowing out from the World Cup™ a consecutive champion, and thus, marking his "Last Dance" as one of the most-beautiful in the history of "the beautiful game." Lamine Yamal could become a World Cup™ Winner at just 19 years old, solidifying him as one of the new generation's future legends.
And yet, fans, spectators, and naysayers alike don't have to wait until July 19 to know that the Three Stripes (and every member who's contributed to its football program over the last month) has already won.
Shop adidas 2026 World Cup™ Final
Related Stories
Keep ScrollingServing up your next slice of heat