Befitting America’s Ways, Lionel Messi Embodies NBA Legend Bill Russell on Historic Night at Ballon d’Or Awards

A few months ago, the US soccer community welcomed an international superstar in the form of Lionel Messi. Now the Argentine captain is channeling an American icon to celebrate a historic win. The Inter Miami star celebrated a major milestone at the Ballon d’Or ceremony. He commemorated the event with a nod to the legendary Bill Russell. This comes months after the soccer star was compared to Mr. 11 Rings.

Bill Russell is the model of greatness. In a 13-year career, he set records nobody could match in the NBA. He’s a true American icon and sports fanatics are awed by Messi exuding 72% of that.

Lionel Messi pays tribute to Bill Russell

Lionel Messi has another record-breaking achievement to top a glorious year. After leading Argentina to a World Cup win in 2022 and signing with Inter Miami in the USA, Messi has won the Ballon d’Or for the eighth time. He beat Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and PSG’s Kylian Mbappe to extend his record for most wins.

Adidas added a special touch to the achievement by gifting Messi eight gold rings to symbolize each of his Ballon d’Or wins. He did a photo shoot with this symbolic present to complement it. One picture that made the final cut is giving us throwbacks to the legendary Bill Russell.

Though three rings short of the basketball superstar, Messi re-enacted one of the most memorable images of the late Bill Russell. The Boston Celtics icon had worn his NBA championship rings and posed with his hands on his face for maximum flex. Messi, too, held his face between his ring-clad hands to exude that same winning mentality.

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In his 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics, Russell won more rings than he had fingers. After retiring in 1969, he commemorated his championship run with a photo shoot in 1996. He flaunted his rings delicately, whether holding them all in his palms or daintily holding his face like an ’80s cover model.

Messi has recreated that GOAT in his newest photo spread. Whether it’s intentional or accidental, fans don’t mind. They love the resemblance. This isn’t the first time Messi has been compared to Russell. However, it’s the best one yet.

Bill Russell set the benchmark for greatness

Back in 2022, Messi drew comparisons to other legends while on his World Cup run. The parallels, though, were exceeding sports. Some likened his accomplishments to that of Bill Russell while others didn’t agree with it.

Russell passed away on July 31, 2022, at the age of 88. Not only the NBA world but athletes across every arena paid tribute to the legend. More of his memorable persona was revised in the 2023 Netflix documentary. Russell himself had input into it before his passing.

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Bill Russell remains inimitable in magnitude and greatness. But Lionel Messi’s tribute comes pretty close.