Lionel Messi Thanks People of Rosario with Gold ‘G.O.A.T.orade' Bottle

After having been honoured with football’s most prestigious award for a record-breaking eighth time, Lionel Messi has posted a very special video and gift, via his Instagram, to thank the people who helped him get to where he is today; those at his first club, .A. Grandoli F.C.

To celebrate his latest achievement the G.O.A.T. has joined forces with long term partner Gatorade to create an emotive short video, entitled ‘Making of Messi’, to reveal where it all started: a patchy pitch in Rosario, Argentina.

The 178 capped superstar once again teams up with sports hydration drink Gatorade, which has helped Messi to perform at his optimum level for 16 years, to showcase the contrast between Messi’s humble roots playing on A. Grandoli F.C.’s pitch with the huge stadiums where Messi has made his name and legacy.

In his social post, which has been liked by over one million people in the first 12 hours, Messi wrote: I fell in love with football when I was four years old playing in my hometown Rosario. Thanks to @Gatorade for bringing all the great memories of my boyhood with this gift”.

The Argentinean captain and Gatorade ambassador, Lionel Messi also said, ‘Thank you to all the people from Rosario who were part of my football journey. I hope that people will like the short film and G.O.A.T.orade bottle produced by Gatorade.

As well as sharing the post in response to his latest accolade, Gatorade has created a gold ‘G.O.A.T.orade’ bottle, designed to commemorate his record-breaking eighth win. The ‘G.O.A.T.orade’ bottle is made from actual gold and includes soil from the Rosario pitch Messi played on as a youngster. The bottle is being sent by Messi to the current A. Grandoli F.C. team and staff, in recognition of the important role they played in setting Messi on the right foot to his record-breaking success.

Robert Blythe, senior director on sports and hydration at PepsiCo said. “Lionel Messi is officially the greatest footballer of all time. How else do we celebrate football’s GOAT than by creating a real gold ‘G.O.A.T.orade’ bottle in his honour? We’re delighted at Messi’s amazing achievement and wanted to help him pay tribute to how far he has come, and to the people who truly set him up for this success – those at his first club, A. Grandoli F.C.. The gold ‘G.O.A.T.orade’ bottle is one of a kind, just like Messi himself.”

Messi has been a Gatorade ambassador for 16 years and plays a vital role in supporting the sports hydration drink’s global grassroots five-a-side football competition Gatorade 5v5, created for young boys and girls aged between 14 – 16 years old.

The Champions League winning captain has also teamed up with the GSSI (Gatorade Sports Science Institute), to strengthen and improve the physical and mental side to his game. As a partner to performance, Gatorade encourages all athletes to never settle on their path to greatness.

To view Messi’s social media post featuring the film paying homage to A. Grandoli F.C. and image of the G.O.A.T.orade bottle gifted to the club, head too Messi’s Instagram page.