What Soccer Cleats Does Lionel Messi Wear?

Soccer cleats aren’t just about style, but an essential tool that affects every sprint, change of direction, or dazzling trick professional players make on the field.

Lionel Messi currently wears the adidas F50 line, revived for 2025 to suit his explosive, low‑to‑ground playing style. These cleats are ultralight, low-cut, and built for pure speed and agility, allowing him to make quick cuts, agile turns, and unstoppable bursts of pace that define his play style.

Current Soccer Cleats Messi Wears

Messi’s adidas F50 lineup features the F50 Vis10n, the F50 Elite FG, his personal Signature Series, and the limited Anniversary Edition, all precision-tuned for acceleration, balance, and agility. Here’s a closer look at the F50 models defining Messi’s 2025 footwear.

adidas F50 Vis10n

The adidas F50 Vis10n is Messi’s go-to speed model, designed around his close control and quick footwork. Its Fibertouch upper molds naturally to the foot to enhance stability without adding weight, while the Sprintframe 360 outsole provides multidirectional grip for quick turns. The bold blue-and-yellow “Vis10n” design celebrates Messi’s creativity, vision, and ability to anticipate plays before they unfold, making this model a favorite among collectors and players.

adidas F50 Elite FG

The flagship adidas F50 Elite FG is designed for players who want natural ankle movement and a locked-in midfoot structure. Its dynamic traction allows Messi to change direction quickly, while the responsive speed plate turns every stride into explosive takeoffs. Designed for attackers chasing defenders (and records), this cleat embodies Messi’s relentless pursuit of perfection and precision on the pitch.

adidas Messi Signature Series

The adidas Messi Signature Series fuses elite performance with storytelling. It features limited‑edition drops with bold designs, each inspired by career‑defining moments in Messi’s journey. With its lightweight chassis, Hybridtouch microfiber upper, and sprint-ready soleplate, these cleats keep the same elite performance expected from the F50s. As a tribute to Messi’s evolution from prodigy to legend, this series perfectly captures his creativity, dedication, and speed on the field.

adidas F50 Anniversary Edition

The adidas F50 Anniversary Edition celebrates two decades of the F50 silo that revolutionized football speed. Featuring premium gold detailing and classic Sprintweb texturing, it’s a match-ready piece with a streamlined fit, responsive plate, and lightweight comfort for effortless acceleration. Perfect for players seeking a touch of history or fans commemorating his enduring legacy, it’s the ultimate fusion of past glory and modern excellence.

Past Iconic Messi Cleats & Signature Models

Messi’s legacy stretches across decades of groundbreaking adidas designs, each capturing key milestones - from La Masia prodigy to global legend. From the original F50 adizero that debuted in 2010 to the radiant “Messi 15.1,” every model was an evolution in style and technology, blending lightweight engineering with unmatched precision.

adidas F50 Messi x Bad Bunny

This innovative fusion of sound and sport gave the F50 a new, lively, pop-culture appeal. Collectors were buzzing for the Messi x Bad Bunny edition's co-branded graphics with striking cyan and gold graphics.

The basic F50 engineering remained under its eye-catching appearance: lightweight upper, sprint‑focused soleplate, secure fit, and match‑ready traction for explosive play. This limited edition brought together two global icons to blend the passion for Latin music culture and football.

adidas F50 Prestig10

A golden ode to Messi’s iconic number 10, the F50 Prestig10 merges artistry and precision, featuring metallic gold trims and embossed detailing. Despite its luxury look, it keeps a performance-driven framework: streamlined fit, Sprintframe for quick toe-off, and a supple, barefoot-like touch tailored for Messi’s acceleration and tight-space mastery. This model embodied the harmony between elegance and efficiency that defines Messi’s unique playing philosophy.

adidas X Speedportal “Leyenda” (2022 World Cup)

Messi’s crowning gold-accented World Cup boot, the X Speedportal “Leyenda,” was crafted to honor Argentina’s unforgettable 2022 triumph. Its X Speedportal .1 platform: ultra‑light upper, stable speedframe, and quick‑release traction gave Messi perfect traction and control during his run to glory in Qatar. Dripping in metallic gold and sky blue, the limited-edition series was worn in the final match of the World Cup, commemorating the moment Messi lifted football’s most coveted trophy. 

adidas F50 adizero “Battle Pack” (2014 World Cup)

The iconic black-and-white F50 adizero “Battle Pack” exemplified power and confidence during Brazil 2014. With a 150-gram adizero build and low-profile silhouette, it was one of the lightest boots ever made. The bold, tribal-inspired appearance mirrored the intensity of that tournament, while its structure supported Messi’s quick footwork and dribbling that left defenders in disbelief.

adidas F50 adizero “Chameleon Purple” (2010)

Messi debuted the F50 adizero “Chameleon Purple” to signal a new revolution in football footwear - ultralight cleats. This sub-165g model fortified Messi’s bond with ultralight performance - a perfect reflection of his elusive, low-center-of-gravity style. Its futuristic colorway became an instant classic, symbolizing the dawn of a new era for speed boots.

adidas F50 adizero “Ballon d’Or” Black/Gold (2012)

Created to celebrate Messi’s record-breaking Ballon d’Or wins, the F50 adizero “Ballon d’Or” edition blended black elegance with gold prestige. It maintained all pro-level specs of the adizero platform - a seamless Sprintskin upper, responsive traction plate, and exact foot wrap for superior ball touch and sprint control. The limited run became a collector’s treasure, forever tied to Messi’s unmatched dominance at the sport’s highest level.

What Features Messi Looks for in Cleats

Every Messi boot is a function of performance, comfort, and design harmony. Crafted with meticulous detail, his footwear prioritizes agility, responsiveness, and close control, ideal for his low‑center‑of‑gravity playing style and preference for nimble movement.

Here are the key features Messi prioritizes in his cleats:

• Lightweight feel for effortless acceleration and sustained pace.
• Low‑cut collar for full ankle mobility and sharper directional cuts.
• Responsive traction plate that ensures stability during high‑speed play.
• Thin, adaptive upper providing barefoot‑like ball control.
• Cushioning for long‑match comfort and fatigue reduction.
• Durable frame that maintains performance consistency even after prolonged use.

What Soccer Cleats Does Lionel Messi Wear FAQs

1. Does Messi wear Nike or adidas?

Messi is a lifelong adidas athlete. After brief early years with Nike, he officially signed with adidas in 2006 and has since embodied their F50 line, solidifying one of football’s most iconic brand partnerships.

2. What are Messi’s favorite cleats?

Messi’s favorites are the adidas F50 Vis10n and F50 Elite FG, models refined for unmatched agility. Both reflect the ultra‑light, sprint‑based engineering that allows him to move and strike with precision.

3. What are Messi’s cleats called?

Messi’s current cleats belong to the adidas F50 family, specifically the F50 Vis10n and F50 Elite FG. Each release evolves with subtle engineering upgrades while retaining the DNA that has powered his greatness for nearly two decades.