Hundreds of thousands of fans across Middle East join Team Messi

Leo Messi & adidas unveil latest adizero f50 Messi boot at ‘The New Speed of Light'

Dubai, 14th August 2013 – Football loving fans throughout the Middle East have been showing their love for Leo Messi by signing up to ‘Team Messi' on Facebook and twitter in their hundreds of thousands as Messi and adidas reveal the latest adizero f50 Messi football boot.

The admiration for the Argentine genius and the way he plays the game has been a global phenomenon transcending the world, particularly across the Middle East region where more than 210,000 Messi fans have become part of Team Messi on Facebook.  The UAE alone has had almost 10,000 fans join the page so far, giving the country the tenth largest Team Messi fan base in adidas' MENA region rankings. With Team Messi at Facebook.com/teammessi and on twitter @TeamMessi, adidas is enabling all fans to get even closer to their hero and the world's best player as well as encouraging the next generation of footballers to play the Messi way.

With over 675,000 joining Team Messi on Facebook following the global ‘Messi and Friends' tour, adidas has now revealed the latest adizero f50 Messi football boot. This new boot was worn for the first time during the ‘Messi and Friends' tour and features a new colourway inspired by the way Messi plays at the ‘speed of light'.

The new TURBO / BLAST PURPLE / WHITE colourway will stand out on the pitch as much as the legendary Argentine forward and, on recent form, are sure to clock up goal after goal on the scoresheet.

To celebrate the launch of the new boot with Team Messi fans online the world's leading football brand has displayed the genius of Leo Messi like never seen it before. To explore the actions that make him the best in the world, Leo has been fitted up with an innovative LED light suit to help capture his movements, touch and speed in a whole new light.

This film entitled ‘The New Speed of Light' is a truly unique study of football motion. Created using a bespoke LED suit and a pair of ‘hacked' adizero f50 Messi boots, it showcases the direction and body movement of the world's best player. It was shot at 1000 frames per second to create a specially developed visual display that defines the new speed of light.

Filmed in Barcelona by ML studios and directed by Marcus Lyall, the film features a track by Congorock (Ivory – Bloody Beetroots Remix) to compliment the echo effect and concert visual aesthetic of the film.

To watch the new adidas adizero™ Messi f50 ‘The New Speed of Light' video please click on the following link: http://a.did.as/15aRqDg .

The adizero™ f50 combines revolutionary technologies and precision engineering with every aspect of the boot design based around making the wearer as fast as possible on the football field. At only 165g, the adizero™ f50 is one of the lightest shoes on the market.

The f50 features a range of ground-breaking technologies including:
• Sprintskin – a 1.5mm thick layer made from DUALMAX synthetic with exclusive leather grain optic that allows the boot to be lightweight whilst maintaining a natural feeling between boot and ball
• Sprintweb – the 3D printed texture on the surface of the boot that allows for exceptional ball control at speed and also provides the supple but stable construction
• Sprintframe – a strong but lightweight lower section that offers players a perfectly balanced boot

The new adidas adizero™ f50 Messi boot is available to buy from August 1st. Join Team Messi at facebook.com/teammessi or join the conversation on Twitter @TeamMessi.

For further information on adidas football and associated products please visit adidas.com/football or go to facebook.com/adidasfootball or @adidasfootball on twitter to join the conversation.