Lionel Messi’s time in Miami has been more than just football. While the Argentine maestro continues to dazzle on the pitch for Inter Miami alongside former Barcelona teammates Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets, life in a city like Miami comes with its fair share of commercial opportunities.
One such moment was his feature in the new Bad Boys movie promo, where Messi’s two words, “Bad Boys” sent the internet into a frenzy, an opportunity that may not have come his way at PSG or Barcelona.
Now, Messi has landed another major commercial feature, this time with Beats by Dre, the renowned audio brand founded by Dr. Dre.
The Argentine icon stars in a new ad for the Powerbeats Pro 2 alongside NBA legend LeBron James and MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani. Narrated by hip-hop veteran RZA, the ad ties together the journeys of these three sporting icons, emphasizing their relentless pursuit of greatness.
RZA’s narration highlights Messi’s path to football greatness and immortality even, reflecting on his rise from Rosario to Barcelona, Paris, and now Miami.
“Remember when ‘too small’ became ‘too good’?” RZA’s voice booms over visuals of Messi in action. “A 36-year-drought. A country’s fate is at your feet. You built me up rep by rep for when you need me the most.” The visuals show Messi training with intensity and a music device fitted in his ear, reinforcing the message of discipline and passion.
Fans are delighted to see Messi in an advertisement like this, but a lot of users online are appreciating RZA and the script, “RZA tore it up,” and “That was dope, very inspiring narration,” said a couple of users.
Other’s tweeted about the fire add as a whole, “Now, that’s how you make an ad,” said one sports fan while another added, “ad went too hard now suddenly im in the NBA, Champions league final and the baseball world series.” Some fans went as far as already calling it “ad of the year.”
Fans also highlighted the perks of moving to the US instead of the Saudi, “We need to apologize to Messi for criticizing his move to US,” and “You see the US move makes more sense than the outright 1Bn?” said two users.
The Powerbeats Pro 2—the product at the heart of the campaign—is designed for high-performance athletes, featuring upgraded sound, improved battery life, and heart rate monitoring. Retailing at a premium price of £249.95 it is a much higher than the lower-end version of the Beats Fit Pro, costing £219.99.
The Powerbeats are available in 4 different colours, including a bright orange and a lilac version.
Messi’s presence in the advertisements adds to his list of American commercial experiences, and with James, Messi, and Ohtani in the mix the ad has generated significant buzz, as you’d expect when you bring together three GOATs together.
