Lionel Messi’s first-ever competitive match in a pair of adidas ended with a goal – although, he scored the winner for Barcelona against Real Zaragoza with his head rather than either striped boot.

Over the subsequent years, Messi has racked up hundreds of strikes clad in the retailing giant’s finest products. Ahead of the 2024 Major League Soccer season, which begins for Messi on 22 February, adidas have unveiled a new set of boots crafted in homage to the homeland of Inter Miami’s revered figurehead.

The X Crazyfast Messi Spark Gen10s are inspired by the player’s Argentinian heritage. Despite living out of the country since he was a teenager, Messi has maintained a keen sense of national identity.

Spain’s World Cup-winning manager Vicente del Bosque revealed that La Roja had tried to persuade Messi to switch allegiances when he was coming through Barcelona’s youth system. The response was blunt. “There was an attempt to do that at the time but he decided to stick with the country of his birth,” Del Bosque recalled, “he remained steadfast.”

Messi, who still speaks with an Argentinian accent and cites his compatriot Ricardo Darin as his favourite actor, has not always had a mutually loving relationship with his homeland. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner twice retired from the national team after losing three major finals between 2014 and 2016, inciting widespread criticism for his perceived inability to replicate his form at club level with Argentina.

As manager Lionel Scaloni fostered a core of young exciting talent, Messi was tempted back into the setup. Messi captained his nation to the Copa America title in 2021, the team’s first piece of major silverware in 28 years, taking great pride in beating host nation Brazil in Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana stadium. However, COVID restrictions forced fans to watch on from afar.

The stands of every Argentina match at the 2022 World Cup were full of blue and white stripes, invariably with Messi’s name on the back. The team’s talisman scored in every knockout round to complete his quest for global glory and finally win around a nation he never stopped loving. “I feel it like a triumph for me to have changed that situation and won over all the people of Argentina,” Messi reflected after the tournament. “Today 95% or 100% of Argentines love me and that’s a beautiful feeling.”

The Messi Spark Gen10s reflect their inspiration’s undiluted patriotism. A dark blue embrace around the laces lies above a clean white undercarriage, with adidas’ inimitable stripes set to a vibrant blue. The golden line streaking across the instep captures the success Messi has enjoyed with his nation in recent years.

Fittingly, Messi debuted his latest footwear in a friendly for Inter Miami against Newell’s Old Boys, the Argentine club that the proud Rosario native has supported since his aunts and uncles bought him the red and black kit on his first birthday.

Unfortunately, Messi couldn’t replicate his adidas debut with a goal against Newell’s – not even a header – but there will no doubt be plenty to come in his striking new footwear.

The adidas X Crazyfast Messi Spark Gen10s are available on adidas.com/messi and at select retailers from Tuesday 20 February.