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."
One of America's greatest soccer players is spending the week in Greece working with kids and reminding everyone that the most important moments in sports don't always end with a group of Champagne-soaked winners holding up a trophy.
Retired Olympian and World Cup star Carli Lloyd is joining onetime U.S. men's great Cobi Jones on the pitch and in communities in Greece as part of a program tailored by the U.S. Embassy in Athens, “Changing the Game: Sports for Inclusion.” One of its missions is to remind kids, and maybe their parents, too, about the core reason we play sports — to learn to lead, include others and be a good teammate.
“What makes it special is that when these kids have a ball at their feet, all the rest of the worries and issues kind of go away,” Lloyd said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I hope that us kind of going around the world and speaking about my journey and what it took, the ups and downs, hopefully that can help, and help others.”
There is some geopolitical messaging involved in this trip, as well.
The Lloyd and Jones journey is part of an effort begun in 2006 by the U.S. State Department, which sends elite American athletes and coaches overseas to participate in its Sports Envoy program. Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Lee Satterfield told the AP the U.S. “is elevating sport to the diplomatic platform to engage people all over the world” and support America's broader foreign policy goals.
“We're able to look at sports as a way to connect to key audiences and reach people locally in communities who we might not otherwise be in contact with through regular, traditional diplomacy,” Satterfield said.
The U.S. views Greece as an important partner in an important place — closer than most European allies to Russia, North Korea and some other parts of Asia where democracy is either nonexistent or imperiled. Refugees from Ukraine, Northern Africa and other parts of Europe come to Greece; some of Lloyd's visits this week will be with children from the northern part of Africa.
It could take an entire plane flight from the U.S. to Athens to get through the 41-year-old Lloyd's resume. In short, she is a two-time FIFA player of the year who has played in more games in the World Cup and Olympics (47) than any other American on the U.S. women's national team.
She also has been overlooked — both when she was a kid without a soccer net in her backyard and had to prove she could play with the best, and then later as a seasoned veteran when, for instance, at age 27 she found herself in her garage “crying my eyes out, feeling like I was a failure," as she wrote on her website.
Turns out, she was just getting started. About five years after that, she scored three goals in the first 17 minutes to lead the U.S. to a win over Japan in the final of the 2015 World Cup. She played in two more Olympics and one more World Cup after that. Since hanging up the cleats, she has worked as an analyst on Fox's soccer coverage.
This week, it's a different role.
Lloyd will be talking to children — some from Greece, others refugees, still others who have physical and intellectual disabilities — on a number of topics, including gender equity, mental health, nutrition and how we all can learn from wins and from losses, both on and off the field. Embedded in all the conversations will be Lloyd's own experience with overcoming obstacles.
“It makes you reflect on where you live and where you come from and the opportunities you’ve had," Lloyd said of her travels across the globe over a career that spanned the better part of 25 years. “It puts things into perspective that there's always going to be room for improvement everywhere. There’s no perfect country or perfect place or perfect person. And so you're always going to strive to become a bit better.”
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Former US soccer player Carli Lloyd, left, controls the ball as a young migrant tries to stop him during a soccer game at Olympiacos Training Center in Athens, Monday, April 22, 2024. Elite American athletes and coaches, including the former US soccer players Carli Lloyd and Cobi Jones, take part in the 2024 spring roster of U.S. Soccer Sports Envoys organized by the U.S. Department of State. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
The two-time FIFA Player of the Year Carli Lloyd, left, former US soccer player Cobi Jones, second left, US Ambassador to Greece George James Tsunis, center background, pose with young migrants and members of NGOs at Olympiacos Training Center in Athens, Monday, April 22, 2024. Elite American athletes and coaches, including Lloyd and Jones, take part in the 2024 spring roster of U.S. Soccer Sports Envoys organized by the U.S. Department of State. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
The two-time FIFA Player of the Year Carli Lloyd speaks to young migrants at Olympiacos Training Center in Athens, Monday, April 22, 2024. Elite American athletes and coaches, including the former US soccer players Carli Lloyd and Cobi Jones, take part in the 2024 spring roster of U.S. Soccer Sports Envoys organized by the U.S. Department of State. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
The two-time FIFA Player of the Year Carli Lloyd, left, watches Nur a migrant from Somalia as he kicks the ball at Olympiacos Training Center in Athens, Monday, April 22, 2024. Elite American athletes and coaches, including the former US soccer players Carli Lloyd and Cobi Jones, take part in the 2024 spring roster of U.S. Soccer Sports Envoys organized by the U.S. Department of State. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
The two-time FIFA Player of the Year Carli Lloyd speaks to young migrants at Olympiacos Training Center in Athens, Monday, April 22, 2024. Elite American athletes and coaches, including the former US soccer players Carli Lloyd and Cobi Jones, take part in the 2024 spring roster of U.S. Soccer Sports Envoys organized by the U.S. Department of State. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
The two-time FIFA Player of the Year Carli Lloyd watches the training of young migrants at Olympiacos Training Center in Athens, Monday, April 22, 2024. Elite American athletes and coaches, including the former US soccer players Carli Lloyd and Cobi Jones, take part in the 2024 spring roster of U.S. Soccer Sports Envoys organized by the U.S. Department of State. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
