Adidas Senior VP of Global Football Markus Baumann told SBD Global that he thinks Argentine Lionel Messi is the best football player on the planet and his private off-field issues have no influence on the company's relationship with him. To underline the 26-year-old's privileged status in the adidas football family, the company launched its first range of Messi products earlier this year. A second line, expected to make an even bigger splash, will hit stores in the near future. Baumann: "This year, we very successfully launched the first Leo Messi icon ranges. We expect a second drop to hit consumers on Aug. 1, and we saw, based on the first range that we launched in the second quarter this year, how big the demand, how big the hype is around Leo Messi. With new products coming in August, we believe that this can be on an even higher level." Messi, who plays for Spanish side FC Barcelona on a club level, has been in the headlines recently as Spanish tax authorities accuse him and his father of alleged tax fraud. Asked if the recent news has any influence on Messi's deal with adidas, Baumann said, "First of all I think this is a topic which is Leo Messi’s private topic. It is nothing where we get involved or where we are involved. We are not considering that we will drop or terminate our contract because I think he is the best footballer on the planet."
