adidas pits Messi against Mahomes in high-speed treadmill showdown

adidas is pitting two of its most iconic athlete partners, football legend Lionel Messi and American star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, against each other in its latest campaign film under the "You got this" global platform, which champions the power of peer motivation in levelling up performance.

In the newly released spot, the football and American football superstars go head-to-head in a treadmill face-off, encouraging each other to run faster and push harder in a spirited display of competitiveness and camaraderie.

The film opens with the two superstars' wives Antonela Roccuzzo and Brittany Mahomes mid-workout as their husbands occupy neighbouring treadmills. What starts as a steady jog quickly turns into a high-speed duel, with Messi cranking up Mahomes’ pace and setting off a tit-for-tat challenge.

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The light-hearted film culminates with both athletes playfully swatting each other’s hands away from the speed controls, underscoring the campaign's message that even the best in the world can go further with the right push.

Directed by Ryan Booth, with creative direction by Mark Fitzloff and Rob Palmer, the spot will run across adidas’ social channels and broadcast platforms globally throughout 2025.

"Whenever I am on the pitch, whether for my club or my country, I feel a deep responsibility to give my best. Mahomes and I come from two different worlds of football, but the passion is the same. Knowing people everywhere are watching and believing in us drives everything we do. The support from fans around the world is más que palabras, more than words, and we hope it inspires everyone to lift each other up," said Messi. 

In tandem, Mahomes said, “In sports, as in anything that you are passionate about, the work never stops. But nobody succeeds alone. You need people who believe in you and who challenge you to be better. It was an honor to team up with Messi for this campaign. It’s a reminder that we achieve more together than we ever could alone." 

The film builds on adidas’ ongoing "You got this" global campaign, which first launched in February with a focus on the power of positive reinforcement in sport. Backed by a study spanning over 12,000 athletes across 24 countries, adidas uncovered what it calls the "sideline effect", the significant impact that both positive and negative sideline behaviours have on amateur athletes.

The research found that four in five athletes frequently face unhelpful behaviours from coaches, parents, and teammates, with actions like excessive in-game instructions, score reminders, and post-match overanalysis contributing to pressure and burnout.

To counter this, adidas introduced its “Sideline essentials,” a set of guidelines co-developed with sports psychologists and endorsed by icons including Jürgen Klopp, Son Heung-min, and Aitana Bonmatí. The tools aim to shift sideline behaviour from high-pressure to high-support, reinforcing the campaign’s central message that belief starts with encouragement.

The campaign arrives as major sportswear players double down on emotionally resonant global pushes. In March, PUMA rolled out its biggest brand campaign yet, "Go wild", a repositioning effort to connect with audiences through instinct and energy. The campaign signals PUMA’s intent to expand its global footprint while shifting focus from pure performance to self-expression through sport.

Earlier in February, Nike made a bold return to Super Bowl LIX with "So win", its first appearance at the event in 27 years. Created by Wieden+Kennedy Portland and directed by Kim Gehrig, the 60-second ad spotlighted rising female athletes including Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson, and Sha’Carri Richardson, challenging long-standing gender norms in sport with a defiant voiceover by Grammy-winner Doechii.

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