The moment he won the World Cup last December 2022, everyone knew that the 2023 Ballon d’Or already has a rightful winner. The achievement in Qatar enabled Messi to secure a record-extending 8th Ballon d’Or award, significantly separating himself from his closest rivals. And sure enough, adidas did not let the event go unnoticed and presented Messi with a commemorative pair of the X Crazyfast.1s.
Before we talk about the colourway, it’s worth noting that the Messi ‘El Ocho’ boots has the player’s favoured burrito-styled tongue construction and the upper material that is significantly different from the retail release. Other than those changes, it seems like the boot has that familiar laced closure and the snappy Aeroplate-backed Speedframe.
Now, to the colourway itself. It has a two-tone brownish bronze colourway where a dark tone forms a lip on the forefoot and the rest brightens up with a light shade. Messi’s wordmark runs along the heel of boot, and a repeating pattern of the eight Ballon d’Or balls appear on the instep. Other details include the subtle goat head on the forefoot, Messi’s child names and birthdays on the quarter, and his no. 10 kit number and national flag on the other side. The sole lists down the 8 years Messi won the prestigious award.
