Adidas CEO: Messi will decide when to retire from Argentina; it’s good to leave the German team to Nike

Hupu November 05 News In the early autumn, Adidas set up its headquarters in a building overlooking Manhattan in Brooklyn, New York, and officially released the official game ball of the 2026 World Cup and the jerseys of its 23 partner football associations.

There are still eight months until the World Cup kicks off. The atmosphere is enthusiastic, and the expression on the CEO's face also confirms this. Bjorn Goulden (60) joined Adidas from sister brand and long-time rival Puma in January 2023 and led the company to achieve a stunning turnaround.

In less than three years, the Norwegian executive has successfully escaped the difficulties of collaborating with rapper Kanye West’s brand Yeezy – and led the company back to profitability and strong growth (2024 revenue of 23.7 billion euros, a growth rate of 10.5%).

What are your plans for this World Cup? This World Cup may be your last collaboration with Messi.

You'll see. Messi will decide when his last game is for Argentina and when his last game is for Miami (he just extended his contract with the American team until 2028).

We will continue to sponsor and congratulate him until he no longer plays for these two teams.

As for the German team, this will be an ordinary World Cup, they first have to qualify (they are currently first in the group with the same points as Slovakia) - which I believe they can do - and then perform well. Finally, we will say goodbye to them. "

The World Cup will be a critical moment for adidas in the U.S.

Hosting the World Cup in the U.S., Mexico and Canada makes it even more significant. Entering this market - always the most challenging for us - is an opportunity. But We must avoid letting football dominate. Football is just one of the many elements we need to manage to be successful in the global and U.S. markets.

Is investing in Major League Soccer (MLS) a preparation?

Our partnership with MLS. It's been a long time coming (the partnership started in 2004 and will last until 2030). The level of MLS is much higher than before.

But this league faces tougher challenges than any other league in the world because I haven't seen any place where football is not number one. Or the second largest sport. And here it is in fifth place.

MLS needs more money to improve player treatment and improve the quality of its teams. It depends on its appeal to the public, both boys and girls, about football. The sport is booming. We'll see what happens after the World Cup, which will be held at the home ground of your main rivals.

We don't feel like we're going to be held back by other brands, including Nike. When it comes to football and World Cup history, we don't have to hold anything back. Whatever Nike does, does the idea of them starting to design the German national team jersey in 2027 faze you at all? Leave it to us to design Liverpool's shirts, and I think Liverpool's shirt launches are the best in history.

If you're a Liverpool or Real Madrid fan, you'll be buying them on a regular basis. Their jerseys. And the national team only sells jerseys every two years

And even then, it will only be sold when it wins the championship or the World Cup is held at home. Considering the huge amount of money that Nike invests every year (more than 100 million euros), we have better investment options. .

They paid more for France (the contract was extended from 2024 to 2034, more than 100 million euros per year), and more for Brazil (according to Brazilian media reports, between 100 million and 150 million US dollars per year, about 86 million to 86 million). 129 million euros).

Adidas will work with the defending champion (Argentina), European champion (Spain) and Ballon d'Or winner (Dembele)...

Five Ballon d'Or winners! Best Player (Dembele), Best Young Player (Lamine Yama) We have invested more than $3 billion in marketing. The investment will continue to increase and will continue to do so. You will see more players, more federations and more teams appear in more categories.

The same can be said for many female players such as Trinity Rodman. American forward for the Washington Spirit). The goal is to take over the sport and capitalize on its symbolism, especially in lifestyle products

Will lifestyle products be the most important thing next summer?

Even in the United States? For the first time, football jerseys have become so important in this regard. Usually, football jerseys are worn by fans in the stadium while drinking beer and eating sausages, but in the past 12 to 18 months, it has become a fashion item for people who have nothing to do with football

For example, at Oasis. At the concert, all peripheral products - sportswear, T-shirts, shorts - are closely related to football culture. The product series launched by Adidas around the World Cup has never been more important than today.

We have 4,500 products, such as the Mexico team. Jerseys, will be very popular. I also expect record sales for many away jerseys. We believe that the entire product range around the World Cup represents an industry worth more than $1 billion by 2026, and the impact of football may be greater than ever..

Is betting on young, bold players like Jude Bellingham, Lamin Yamal or Anthony Edwards a way to keep calm?

Of course, we hope so. When looking for a partner, look not only for their strengths but also for their personality. These three players have their own characteristics and are a perfect fit for us. We are always working hard to optimize our roster of athletes.

Our local team does a great job of identifying talent and personalities. And global teams are able to invest in effectively showcasing this talent. So, is there the next Michael Jordan? No. And you can't predict when he will show up.