adidas X Speedportal Messi "Leyenda"

The Adidas X Speedportal Messi "Leyenda" ("Legend" in Spanish) is, without question, the single most historically significant boot in Lionel Messi's entire signature-boot catalogue. It is the pair — in its match-worn, custom-modified form — that Messi wore for Argentina's triumphant run to the 2022 FIFA World Cup title in Qatar, culminating in the final victory over France on December 18, 2022. Released commercially by Adidas on November 22, 2022, days before the tournament, the "Leyenda" pack was designed explicitly as a tribute to Messi's first-ever World Cup appearance in Germany 2006, closing a 16-year narrative loop just as Messi entered what was widely billed as his final World Cup. Because Messi went on to lift the trophy while wearing a personalized version of this boot, the "Leyenda" has since become one of the most sought-after and valuable pieces of modern football-boot memorabilia.

Adidas officially unveiled the X Speedportal.1 "Leyenda" on November 22, 2022, with adiClub members given early access from 8:45 a.m. local time ahead of general release, according to Goal.com. This was just days before Argentina's opening group match against Saudi Arabia (November 22, 2022) at the Qatar World Cup — meaning Messi effectively debuted the boot at the very start of the tournament. He continued to wear versions of the boot (including his own heavily customized match pair) throughout Argentina's entire campaign: the group stage against Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Poland; the round of 16 against Australia; the quarter-final against the Netherlands; the semi-final against Croatia; and the final against France on December 18, 2022. Retail buyers could purchase the general-release colorway from Adidas.com, the CONFIRMED app, and select stockists such as Pro:Direct Soccer, though Messi's own match-worn pairs differed from the retail version in several customized respects (see below). Following the World Cup win, Adidas produced an updated "2022 World Cup Winner" version of the boot (revealed in media in March 2023 and debuted by Messi in a friendly against Panama), and the design lineage was later continued into 2023's "Las Estrellas" colorway, which explicitly built on the Leyenda concept.

The "Leyenda" sits on the Adidas X Speedportal silo, the agility/creativity-focused speed boot Adidas introduced for the 2022–23 season as the successor to the X Ghosted. Key technical features reported by Footy Headlines, SoccerBible, and Goal.com include:

• Carbon-fiber Speedframe soleplate, an ultra-lightweight forefoot plate built for efficient power transfer during acceleration and quick changes of direction, using a Carbitex carbon-fiber insert.
• Engineered Agility Cage, a laser-cut support structure across the upper designed to aid explosive lateral movement.
• High-Speed Stability System, combining a carbon heel lock, molded stability fins, and a midfoot support cage to reduce foot slippage and energy loss.
• Anti-slip silicone heel print for improved lockdown.
• Engineered Primeknit collar, offering a snug, sock-like fit around the ankle.
• Multidirectional stud configuration, new for the 2022 X Speedportal generation, intended to give "superior grip" in multiple directions, along with two extra forefoot studs to maximize straight-line acceleration on the firm-ground (FG) outsole, optimized for dry natural grass.

On the medial (inner) side, the boot references the "+F50.6 Tunit" naming from Messi's original 2006 boot, while the lateral side carries the "X Speedportal" wordmark — a deliberate blending of Messi's boot heritage with the current-generation silo.

The official colorway is Gold Metallic / Cloud White / Pulse Blue (referred to in various write-ups simply as "gold with blue and white accents"). The gold upper is a direct homage to the white-and-gold-detailed Adidas +F50.6 Tunit boots Messi wore at his World Cup debut in 2006 — Adidas swapped the original white base for a golden one to mark the occasion of what was expected to be his final World Cup. A chrome-shimmer golden soleplate underlines the "legend" theme, while black-and-white Three Stripes branding runs across the upper. Blue accents on the heel collar, instep graphic, and stud tips nod to the sky-blue of Argentina's home shirt and flag. The heel carries Messi's personal logo and the number 10.

Messi's actual match-worn pairs during the tournament went further than the retail colorway: reporting (via BC Boots UK and Sportskeeda) on his boots from the World Cup and its immediate aftermath describes personalized elements including his children's names and birthdates hand-stitched or printed onto the boots. Specifically, coverage of his final-match boots noted his son Ciro's name and wife Antonella ("Anto") on the left boot, and "Thiago 02 11 12" and "Mateo 11 09 15" (the birthdates of sons Thiago and Mateo) on the right boot — continuing a personalization tradition Messi has carried across many of his signature Adidas boots.

Adidas framed the "Leyenda" as a celebration of "Lionel Messi's glittering legacy," explicitly stating that the boots were "inspired by details from the boots he wore on his big stage debut in 2006." The marketing narrative leaned heavily on the idea of Qatar 2022 being Messi's fifth and presumed final World Cup, bookending a career that began with the +F50.6 Tunit in Germany. SoccerBible described the design as combining "black and white Three Stripe branding" across the upper with "subtle blue accents...representing Argentina's colors."

The boot's cultural significance was cemented by events on the pitch rather than in an ad campaign: Messi captained Argentina to the title, won a record second Golden Ball award as the tournament's best player, and became just the second man (after Diego Maradona, whose shadow loomed over the entire tournament narrative) to lift the World Cup for Argentina. Photos of Messi kissing the trophy while wearing the golden boots, and of him being hoisted by teammates in Qatar's post-match celebrations, became some of the most widely circulated football images of the decade. In the days after the win, images leaked online of Messi's personalized golden boots bearing his family's names, further fueling public fascination with the exact pair worn in the final.

Messi wore the "Leyenda" (in retail or personalized match form) throughout Argentina's full 2022 World Cup campaign, one of the most celebrated individual tournaments in football history:

• Group stage: Argentina's shock opening loss to Saudi Arabia, followed by must-win victories over Mexico and Poland, with Messi scoring in the win over Mexico.
• Round of 16 vs Australia: Messi scored to help send Argentina into the quarter-finals.
• Quarter-final vs Netherlands: Messi scored a penalty in a dramatic match that went to a penalty shootout, which Argentina won.
• Semi-final vs Croatia: Messi scored a penalty and set up another goal in a 3-0 win.
• Final vs France, December 18, 2022 (Lusail Stadium): Messi scored twice — including a first-half penalty — as Argentina raced to a 2-0, then 3-2, lead before France's Kylian Mbappé forced extra time with a hat-trick. Messi scored again in extra time to make it 3-3 before the match went to a penalty shootout, which Argentina won 4-2, with Messi converting his spot kick. He was named man of the match and won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player for a record second time (also 2014), officially completing football's greatest individual and collective prize — a FIFA World Cup winner's medal — while wearing the golden "Leyenda" boots.