Lionel Messi gifted Argentina teammates and staff with gold iPhones following their World Cup success and went all out £175,000 on 35 individual devices.
A source said: “Lionel wanted to do something special and blingy to celebrate his proudest moment.
“He got in touch with entrepreneur Ben Lyons and they came up with the design together.
Ben, CEO of iDesign Gold, said: “Lionel is not only the Goat but he’s one of IDESIGN GOLD’s most loyal customers and got in touch with us a couple of months after the World Cup final.”
Each phone has the player’s name, number, and the Argentinian logo engraved on it and the bottom of the phone is engraved with the manufacturer’s brand and the luxury service brand Patrick Group logo, however, it is not known what their involvement was in the process.
Some of the mobiles unveiled in short social media snippets show the designs of World Cup final goalscorers Messi and Angel di Maria, while Brighton’s Alexis Macallister and Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez’s custom devices were also put on display.
The company behind the mobiles appear to be popular with other footballers who like to use their six-figure salaries to buy luxury goods.
