Messi gives 35 gold-plated iPhones to Argentina

Each Iphone is designed by Messi with a 24-carat gold plated part, the back is printed with the Argentina logo and the name of each member of the team.

"Lionel wanted to do something special and fun to celebrate life's proudest moment," a source told the Sun. "He contacted businessman Ben Lyons and the two came up with the design together."

Lyons is the CEO of iDesign Gold, the design unit that Messi entrusted with this special task. He said that Messi is a longtime customer of the company and contacted to make a request to make 35 gold-plated iPhones a few months after the 2022 World Cup final.

"He said he wanted to give special gifts to the players and staff members to celebrate the victory, but did not want to give the usual gift of watches. So I proposed giving a gold-plated iPhone with print their names, and Messi likes the idea," Lyons revealed.

Argentina won the World Cup 2022 last December, after defeating France in the final penalty shootout. Messi was awarded the World Cup Golden Ball - the award for the best player in the tournament in Qatar. The 35-year-old forward was an important inspiration to lead Argentina to the final game, with five goals and three assists, directly imprinting on eight of the 12 goals scored by the home team from the group stage to the end of the semi-finals.

In the final, Messi continued to make a mark when he directly scored two goals - including a penalty that opened the scoring and launched the situation that led to the other goal. He also kicked the first penalty shootout, adding confidence to his teammates to perform well in the next three rounds for Argentina to win 4-2.

Winning the World Cup completes Messi's massive trophy collection. He has won the most prestigious competitions at the national and club level. Messi is also the first player to be awarded the World Cup Golden Ball twice in 2014 and 2022.