No, Messi Didn’t Gift Golden Phones to His Teammates. Here’s What That’s All About

Lionel Messi is known for many things — from his historic career with Futbol Club Barcelona to being considered the best soccer player in the world.

However, an article in the English newspaper The Sun also rated him as the most generous.

The article published on March 2 claimed that Lionel Messi had spent up to 175,000 pounds on 35 gold iPhones for the Argentine national soccer team players.

These were reportedly 24-carat devices, one for each World Cup-winning squad member.

The phones are engraved with the players’ names, numbers, and the Argentina logo.

A source told the newspaper that the player “wanted to do something special and blingy to celebrate his proudest moment.”

“He got in touch with entrepreneur Ben Lyons, and they came up with the design together.”

However, not all that glitters is gold.

The gift did not come from Lionel Messi

Since the news went viral, the star’s communication department denied that the Albiceleste captain plans to gift the gold phones to his teammates.

Apparently, it was not Lionel Messi who decided to give the gift to each of his teammates.

Sources around the Rosarino star said that who gives the luxurious gift to the world champions is not the captain of the national team but a businessman intending to make his brand known. 

Ben, CEO of iDesign Gold, told the English tabloid, “Lionel is not only the GOAT, but he’s one of IDESIGN GOLD’s most loyal customers and got in touch with us a couple of months after the World Cup final.”

“He said he wanted a special gift for all the players and staff to celebrate the amazing win but didn’t want the usual gift of watches,” Ben added.

“So, I suggested gold iPhones inscribed with their names, and he loved the idea.”

However, while this is a brilliant marketing ploy, the money i

As the newspaper La Tercera reported, Benjamin Lyons has known Messi for some years.

In the past, the designer showed an iPhone 13, especially for Messi, with a gold case with the name of the captain of the Albiceleste.

In this case, just after receiving The Best award, the businessman contacted the former Barcelona to make the move of the phones of the Argentine national team.

Therefore, the gift would come from the company and not come out of Messi’s pocket, as suggested in the last hours.