Lionel Messi gifts gold iPhone to members, staff of FIFA World Cup winning team

Lionel Messi:  To remember the victory and cherish the beautiful winning moment, Argentina's football team captain by Lionel Andrés Messi gifted his winning team members and support staff stunning gold iPhones. 

Messi, a seven-time  Ballons d'Or winner,  spent approximately £175,000, i.e. about Rs 1 crore 72 lakh on 35 individual phones, reports mentioned.

Argentina under Messi's leadership won the FIFA World Cup last December. With the team's victory, Lio Messi lifted his first FIFA World Cup trophy in 2022. 

According to a report published in The Sun, Leo Messi wanted to gift a personal momento to his teammates and staff members to honour their contribution. 

Messi ordered 35 smartphones in 24-karat gold to celebrate the success with a personalized gift. These phones are engraved with details such as the player's name, jersey number and the Argentina logo and have 'World Cup Champions 2022' written on the back.

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Soon after winning the World Cup, Messi contacted Ben Lyons, CEO of iDesign Gold Company, the report added. 

The Sun quoted a source as saying that Messi "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."

Ben Lyons, the CEO of iDesign Gold, told The Sun, "Lionel is not only the GOAT but he's one of iDesigns 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," Lyons said further adding that he "suggested gold iPhones inscribed with their names and he loved the idea".

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FIFA World Cup 2022: Messi became the player of the tournament

In the final of the FIFA World Cup held in Qatar last year, Argentina beat France in penalties and won the World Cup after many decades. Messi won the Player of the Tournament award.

After winning the World Cup, Messi said that the tournament would be his last but recently indicated in an interview that he is open to the possibility of playing in the next World Cup in 2026.

He recently, told Diario Ole, a sports newspaper in Argentina, "Because of age it'll be difficult to make 2026. I love playing football and while I feel like I'm in good shape and enjoying this, I'm going to keep at it. It seems like a long time until the next World Cup, but it depends on how my career is going."

(With agencies input)