Ballon D'Or Winner Lionel Messi Presented With Platinum Boots From Adidas

Lionel Messi now has a pair of platinum boots to go alongside his new, gold Ballon d'Or trophy after being celebrated as "the greatest player of all time" by adidas, according to Joe Strange of the London DAILY MAIL. After scoring 52 goals for club and country in '15, Messi's achievements were recognized "by his sponsors with some precious footwear." Based on the current Messi 15 model, adidas created a design "featuring real platinum elements which have never been seen before on a football boot." The back has four gold dots and one platinum dot to "signify Messi's record haul of five Ballon d'Or trophies," while a Spanish phrase translating as "the greatest of all time" is printed on the sole of the right boot. Both the Messi and adidas logo "are made from real platinum" (DAILY MAIL, 1/12).