Messi's life painted on soccer boots by Paraguayan artist

A young Lionel Messi dribbles a soccer ball or poses for a photograph with his grandmother. As an adult, he embraces his children, kisses his wife, or points two fingers to the sky in memory of his grandmother after scoring a goal with Argentina.

In this Feb. 20, 2018 photo, Paraguayan artist Lilian Cantero paints a pair of soccer cleats in San Lorenzo, Paraguay. Cantero has received requests for her work from all over the world after Lionel Messi posed in a photograph with the cleats that she sent him as a gift. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)

The hand-painted images on a pair of soccer boots by a young Paraguayan artist relive some of the most memorable moments in the personal life and career of the best player of his generation. Artist Lilian Cantero sent the boots to Messi as a gift to Barcelona, and he recently displayed them in a photo on a post that went viral on social media. Now, she is getting demands for her work from all over the world.

"It was such an incredibly humble gesture on his part," Cantero, 25, said at her atelier in the outskirts of Asuncion, surrounded by colorful designs posted on the walls. "For Messi to have one of my works was my dream since I began painting soccer boots."

Growing up, Cantero remembers flipping through the pages of an encyclopedia at home, mesmerized by the works of famous painters. In school, she once decorated white sandals with bright motifs. In college, she painted sandals again as part of an assigned project, where students launched their own small businesses. By word of mouth, friends who played soccer began asking her her to paint their boots. Eventually, she began designing for a local sports store and getting requests from Paraguayan professional players.

In this Feb. 20, 2018 photo, Paraguayan artist Lilian Cantero holds her designs at her studio in San Lorenzo, Paraguay. Artist Lilian Cantero sent the cleats to Messi as a gift to Barcelona, and he recently displayed them in a photo on a post that went viral on social media. Now, she is getting demands for her work from all over the world. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)

But it was Messi's remarkable career that she wanted to bring to life.

Through documentaries and interviews, she learned how from an early age, Messi would dazzle with a soccer ball at his feet in his native city of Rosario; how he was encouraged by his maternal grandmother, Celia, to overcome challenges and become a professional player; and how Barcelona took a gamble on a 13-year-old undersized kid and paid for his growth hormone treatment. The five-time FIFA world player of the year would go on to win it all with the club, leading to comparisons with Pele and Diego Maradona, the game's greatest players.

"I chose Messi because he's one of the greatest players in history, but also because of his own history - his childhood, which demanded so many sacrifices," Cantero said. "That's what I wanted to express."

In this Feb. 20, 2018 photo, Paraguayan artist Lilian Cantero paints a pair of soccer cleats, in San Lorenzo, Paraguay. Growing up, Cantero remembers flipping through the pages of an encyclopedia at home, mesmerized by the works of famous painters. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)

Cantero sent the boots all the way from her country in the heart of South America to Barcelona with a friend who dropped them off in October at the Camp Nou stadium. In January, she could hardly believe it when she saw the photo of a smiling Messi, holding the boots in his hands. She also got a message from Rodrigo Messi, one of the player's brothers, thanking her for the gift.

Messi's boots are decorated on one side with the horizontally striped sky-blue and white colors of the Argentine flag and its golden sun. A phrase from the national anthem and the names of Messi's wife and children are painted on a side next to photos of a young Messi with his grandmother, playing at Grandoli, his childhood club, and in the lower divisions of Argentina's Newell's Old Boys.

The boots are adorned on another side with the blue and garnet colors of the Barcelona club shirt and images of Messi. They include his celebration of his first goal at the club with Brazilian player Ronaldinho, and when he lifted his number 10 shirt at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium after scoring his 500th career goal for Barcelona.

In this Feb. 20, 2018 photo, Paraguayan artist Lilian Cantero smiles in her studio backdropped by her painting designs which she adds to soccer cleats to honor Argentine soccer player Lionel Messi, in San Lorenzo, Paraguay. “I chose Messi because he’s one of the greatest players in history, but also because of his own history - his childhood, which demanded so many sacrifices,” Cantero said. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)

Messi has faced criticism in Argentina because he has never brought the country a major title, in contrast to his repeated success at Barcelona. All eyes will be on "The Flea" at the World Cup in Russia this year in a tournament that could crown his career. Regardless of the outcome, though, he is already praised both at home and abroad for keeping his common touch.

Since Messi published the photo, Cantero's career has taken off with requests for her designs from professional players, including Peru's Paolo Guerrero and Panama's Gabriel Gavilan. She is also in talks with Argentine players and a member of the U.S. national team. Her goal is to reach out to as many players as possible, and eventually, to get a shot as an official designer for an international athletic company.

"Many people have told me that I'm a source of pride for my country," she said, smilingly. "But I still can't believe all of this."

BRUSSELS (AP) — FIFA rules on transfers can conflict with European Union legislation relating to competition and freedom of movement because they limit possibilities for players to change clubs, and for clubs to hire, a senior EU legal adviser said on Tuesday.

Advocate General Maciej Szpunar gave his opinion after French soccer player Lassana Diarra legally challenged FIFA rules.

The Diarra case went through FIFA judicial bodies before the 2016 election of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who has made it a priority to modernize transfer market rules.

Former France international Diarra signed a four-year contract with Lokomotiv Moscow in 2013. The deal was terminated a year later after Diarra was unhappy with alleged pay cuts.

Lokomotiv Moscow applied to the FIFA dispute resolution chamber for compensation and the player submitted a counterclaim seeking compensation for unpaid wages. The Court of Arbitration for Sport found the Russian club terminated the contract with Diarra “with just cause” and the player was condemned to pay 10.5 million euros ($11.2 million).

Diarra claimed his search for a new club was hampered by FIFA rules stipulating that any new side would be jointly responsible with him for paying compensation to Lokomotiv.

The former Real Madrid player also argued that a potential deal with Belgian club Charleroi fell through because of the FIFA rules, and sued FIFA and the Belgian federation at a Belgian court for damages and loss of earnings of six million euros ($7 million).

Szpunar proposed the European Court of Justice should reply to the questions referred by the Belgian tribunal “by finding that the FIFA rules governing contractual relations between players and clubs may prove to be contrary to the European rules on competition and freedom of movement of persons."

“He finds that there can be no doubt as to the restrictive nature of (FIFA transfer regulations) with regard to freedom of movement," the court said in a statement, noting the restrictive rules can be justified only in specific circumstances.

“These provisions are such as to discourage and dissuade clubs from hiring the player for fear of financial risk. The sporting sanctions faced by clubs hiring the player can effectively prevent a player from exercising his or her profession with a club located in another member state.”

Advocates General routinely provide legal guidance to the ECJ. Their opinions aren’t binding on the Luxembourg-based court, but are followed in most cases.

Concerning competition rules, Szpunar found that FIFA rules on transfers, “by limiting clubs’ ability to recruit players, necessarily affect competition between clubs on the market for the acquisition of professional players.”

Szpunar's opinion follows a court ruling last year finding that UEFA and FIFA acted unlawfully to block the rebel Super League.

AP Sports Writer Graham Dunbar in Geneva contributed.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

FILE - France's Lassana Diarra reacts during the international friendly soccer match between England and France at Wembley Stadium in London, Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015. A senior legal adviser says some FIFA rules on transfer of players can be in breach of European Union legislation relating to competition and freedom of movement. Advocate General Maciej Szpunar gave an opinion on Tuesday after French soccer player Lassana Diarra challenged FIFA rules. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)