Fans Get Emotional as Rare Kobe Bryant – Lionel Messi Video Resurfaces During FIFA World Cup 2022: “Nostalgia Is a Beautiful Thing”

Kobe Bryant and Lionel Messi are two of the biggest household names across the world. So when this duo appeared on television together, fans were beyond thrilled and excited. Recently, this video resurfaced online leaving fans teary-eyed. The five-time NBA champion and soccer legend appeared in a series of commercials for Turkish Airlines. One of the advertisements is now making rounds online.

Back in 2012, this advertisement was the talk of the town. Now, with the NBA and World cup happening simultaneously, nostalgia and emotions hit fans hard.

Commercial featuring Kobe Bryant and Lionel Messi leaves fans emotional

The commercial starts with a young boy entering the scene while holding a football. As the boy heads to his seat, he meets Lionel Messi. While star-struck, the boy hands Messi the ball for an autograph. Kobe Bryant, instantly, calls for the boy’s attention and shows off some basketball tricks. This opens the gate of competition between the superstars. While the duo tries to impress the boy, the stewardess enters with a bowl of ice cream. The glory of Messi and Bryant is overshadowed by the boy’s love for ice cream.

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Fans took to Twitter to express themselves. One tweet said, “Nostalgia is a beautiful thing.” They reminisced about the simpler times when such collaborations involving Bryant brought joy to fans. Many celebrated this video by addressing the duo as “Goats”.

Some were quick to point out that ice cream always wins, something that both Messi and Bryant seem to agree about in the video.

Bryant’s love for soccer and friendship with Messi

Kobe Bryant was a huge fan of soccer. In 2017, Bryant revealed that he supported Barcelona in La Liga. Following this, he also developed a friendship with soccer star Ronaldinho, who donned the Barcelona jersey from 2003 to 2008.

While narrating this, Bryant also opened up about the first time he met Lionel Messi. Supposedly, his friend Ronaldinho introduced him to Messi. He said, “Ronaldinho called him over and said, ‘Kobe, I want you to meet the player who is going to be the greatest player who ever lived.'” Back then, Messi was only 18 years old. Messi and Bryant got closer during the 2008 Olympics.

With that said, the Black Mamba loved the concept of a soccer world cup. For him, the best part about the world cup was the integration and interaction of cultures from all around the world. In the words of Bryant, the world cup showcases the differences that exist in the world in terms of culture, language, and tradition. However, there is one thing that unites them all. He said, “the one common thing is the beauty and love for the game of soccer. That was amazing to be a part of that energy.”

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What is your reaction to the commercial? Let us know in the comments below.