adidas has released a special edition Argentina jersey commemorating Lionel Messi’s international career with the national team. The kit is designed for Argentina’s October 6 friendly against Benin, a match billed as Messi’s farewell international appearance.
The release adds to the growing field of Argentina 2026/27 jersey designs, but stands apart as a tribute piece built specifically around the AFA captain’s legacy rather than a standard competition kit.
The Messi 26 shirt’s design draws on Argentina’s national flag and its most recognizable football symbol, the Sol de Mayo (Sun of May). A reworked version of the sun’s rays radiates outward from the jersey’s center on both the front and back, rendered as fine linear detailing across a jersey split vertically into sky-blue and white halves. This center-split construction echoes Argentina’s traditional home strip while giving the design a distinct identity tied to the occasion rather than a standard match-day release.
Gold detailing runs throughout the kit, reflecting Messi’s achievements with the national team. The number 10 appears in gold at center chest, and the AFA crest, topped by three gold stars, sits on the right breast. On the left chest, adidas’s usual three-bar performance mark has been swapped for Messi’s personal logo, a stylized interlocking “M.” White adidas stripes remain across the shoulders and sleeves, and the collar and cuffs are trimmed in black and gold rather than a single-tone ringer finish.
On the back, “MESSI” appears above a gold number 10, continuing the sun-ray graphic across the rear of the shirt. A small crest sits at the base of the neckline, incorporating a commemorative sign-off that frames the number 10 with laurel branches and the Sol de Mayo, marking the occasion rather than serving as a standard club or federation badge.
The jersey is paired with black shorts trimmed in white and gold, carrying the AFA crest and stars alongside Messi’s logo, and white socks with gold cuffs bearing both the AFA and Messi marks.
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