adidas F50 adiZero III "370 Goals Record"

The Adidas F50 adiZero III "370 Goals" (also referred to in various sources as the "Messi 371" or "Messi 370") is a commemorative, limited-edition version of Adidas's F50 adiZero speed boot, created to mark the moment Lionel Messi became FC Barcelona's all-time leading goalscorer. Messi broke a record that had stood since 1927, held by Paulino Alcántara (variously cited as 369 goals), when he scored a hat-trick against Osasuna on 16 March 2014. Adidas responded within days with a bespoke edition of the boot Messi was wearing at the time, turning a milestone into a wearable, numbered collector's item — one of the earliest examples of Adidas treating an individual Messi achievement as its own boot release, a practice that would become far more frequent from 2014 onward.

Messi scored the record-breaking hat-trick in Barcelona's 7-0 win over Osasuna at Camp Nou on 16 March 2014, taking his career tally for the club to 371 goals (surpassing Alcántara's mark, generally cited around 369). Adidas revealed the special-edition boot within the following days, with coverage from SoccerBible dated 17 March 2014 and Footy Headlines the same week. Because the milestone arrived earlier than Adidas had anticipated — Messi's 2013 injury lay-off had slowed his goal pace relative to projections — the commemorative boot was built on the outgoing second-generation adiZero platform rather than the newer F50 adiZero IV, which had already launched for the 2013–14 season. Messi wore a specially numbered pair (commonly cited as "#370" or, per some outlets, part of a run reaching #371) during the Osasuna match itself and in the period immediately following.

The boot was built on the earlier-generation adiZero F50 chassis, featuring the SprintFrame outsole associated with that platform, given a glossy, high-shine finish for the special edition rather than the standard matte sprint-plate look. Sources describe an asymmetrical left/right design: the two boots were not mirror images of one another, a device Adidas had begun using on other Messi specials around this period and one outlet described as a "first" for this asymmetrical treatment on a Messi boot. Some accounts note a graphic on the boot breaking down the method of Messi's goals (by percentage scored with left foot, right foot, and headers), underscoring the boot's function as a data-driven tribute rather than a pure performance update.

The upper was predominantly white with color-blocked gradients: red on the left boot and blue on the right boot, evoking both FC Barcelona's blaugrana identity and the sky blue and white of Argentina's flag, with small Argentine flag graphics placed on the heels. The outsole/soleplate carried an iridescent, shimmering finish to set the edition apart from a standard retail adiZero. Personal touches included the name and birth date of Messi's son, Thiago (born November 2012), stitched or printed onto the boot, along with a Messi logo on the heel. The insole reportedly carried a motivational phrase along the lines of "give all for your team."

The record itself carried heavy symbolic weight: Alcántara's mark had stood for roughly 87 years, and Messi's achievement — at age 26 — was framed by Adidas and Spanish media as a passing of the torch across generations of Barcelona history. Rather than release a simple print run, Adidas packaged the boots as commemorative objects: reporting describes a companion booklet (in the range of 20 pages) documenting Messi's path to the record, shipped alongside at least some versions of the boot. Messi is quoted reflecting on the achievement in adidas/press messaging: "Each goal I have scored has been special in its own way. I never would have broken the record without my teammates. Being the all-time top goal-scorer for such an amazing club is a true honour." The release fits into Adidas's broader strategy from 2013–2015 of turning Messi's individual milestones (goal records, hat-tricks, personal anniversaries, hometown ties) into discrete, story-driven boot drops rather than simple seasonal colorways — a template that would recur with the Mirosar10, Pibe de Barr10, and Ballon d'Or editions covered elsewhere in this archive.

The defining moment tied to this boot is the 16 March 2014 La Liga match between FC Barcelona and Osasuna at Camp Nou, which Barcelona won 7-0. Messi scored a hat-trick in that match, taking his all-time Barcelona goal tally past Paulino Alcántara's long-standing club record. Coverage at the time (including Fox Sports and UEFA.com) confirmed the record had stood since 1927. One report also ties a specific numbered pair in the commemorative run to Messi's 365th goal for the club, scored against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in the Champions League, indicating that individual pairs in the release referenced specific milestone goals along the way to 370/371, not solely the record-breaking match itself.