Barcelona wantaway Lionel Messi has released a limited edition Budweiser beer – which comes with an ad referencing his botched transfer move.
The footballing superstar has been forced to stay put after his attempts to leave Spain fell through.
He was left embarrassed after Barca’s 8-2 humiliation at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Champions League final.
Now a new Budweiser beer with his name on the label has been released – and the 44-second ad includes cheeky references to recent events, including an appeal to fans to “never give up on greatness”.
The beer will have a limited edition bottle branded after the six-time Ballon d’Or award.
And with Messi releasing the advert on his Instagram, it could be seen by many of his many 167 million followers.
Flashing up on a black background, the advert says: “They said moving to Spain at 13 would break him.
“They said he was too small.
“Now they say he’s grown too big. They say he’s stopped loving the city.”
This appears in reference to some fans’ reaction after news broke that Messi wanted leave the club.
The advert continues: “They say his heart’s not in it. They say the dynasty is over.
“They say his greatness is gone.
“So what does he say?”
At this point the advert shows the Argentine magician unleashing a freekick in the net at the Nou Camp.
Then the scene flashes to Budweiser’s new drink, entitled “Messi, king of football”.
The ad references all the way back to when he was a young man arriving at Barcelona, critiqued for being too small, to the events of this summer when he planned to leave.
Messi captions the video: “Thank you Budweiser for your trust. We never give up on greatness.”
It has already clocked up just shy of two million views in the space of just a couple of hours.
Messi announced a partnership with the German beer firm only days earlier.
It joins his long list of other company endorsements, including Adidas, Lays, Mastercard, watchmaker Jacob & Co and Qatar-based telecom company Ooredo.
read also:‘Messi needed a professional, not his father’
According to Business Insider, Messi said: “I’m excited to partner with Budweiser to share my journey that was based on a determination to be the best player I can be.
“Day after day, year after year, it took sacrifice and hard work to reach my dreams.
“Hopefully fans around the world will find inspiration in my story to commit to their craft and never give up on greatness, no matter how hard the journey.”
With the 33-year-old set to stay at his club, reports suggest many of his teammates could be off with new boss Ronald Koeman keen to rebuild.
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