Lionel Messi gifted Argentina team-mates and staff gold iPhones following their World Cup success and splurged £175,000 on 35 individual devices.
The Argentina captain wanted to give his colleagues a personal memento to remember their success with and decided personalised 24-carat gold smartphones was the way to go.
CEO of iDesign Gold, Ben Lyons, explained how Messi approached him about designing a special gift after triumphing in the Middle East.
‘Lionel is not only the Goat but he’s one of iDesigns Gold’s most loyal customers and got in touch with us a couple of months after the World Cup final,’ he told The Sun.
‘He said he wanted a special gift for all the players and staff to celebrate the amazing win but didn’t want the usual gift of watches.
‘So, I suggested gold iPhones inscribed with their names and he loved the idea.’
Each luxury piece boasts a similar design of the Argentina team badge with the updated three stars, the player’s name and national team shirt number, and the words ‘World Cup champions 2022’.
The bottom of the phone is engraved with the manufacturers brand and the luxury service brand Patrick Group, however it is not known what their involvement was in the process.
Some of the mobiles unveiled in short social media snippets show the designs of World Cup final goalscorers Messi and Angel di Maria, while Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister and Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez’s custom devices were also put on display.
