Lionel Messi Off-Base In Ad Paying Tribute To Celtics Legend Bill Russell

Lionel Messi won his eighth Ballon d’Or award on Monday, extending his record for most ever by a single player.

In commemoration, Adidas presented the 36-year-old with eight unique 14-karat gold rings and had him pose with them for an advertisement. Messi paid tribute to Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell in the advert, copying the iconic photo of him displaying all 11 of his championship rings.

It’s kind of off-base, though.

Russell was the ultimate team player, and the iconic photo represented that as he was celebrating his team accomplishments. Messi’s, which undoubtedly was the idea of the public relations department at Adidas, represents his individual accomplishments.

Messi recently won his first World Cup, and has plenty of other team awards. He’s got four Champion’s League titles and took home 10 titles in LaLiga. Why not pose with those accomplishments in honor of the Celtics legend?

It’s certainly a nice thought, but isn’t exactly in the spirit of Russell’s legacy.