Adidas commissioned Italian 3D printer manufacturer Wasp to create a one-of-a-kind 3D printed shoebox for a custom-made pair of Adidas shoes as a special gift for Lionel Messi to celebrate his win of a prestigious soccer award. For the eighth time in his professional soccer career, Messi won the Ballon d’Or, a golden soccer ball statuette presented by French magazine France Football recognizing the world’s best soccer player.
Wasp used its 4070 ZX printer to create the shoebox in the shape of a dodecahedron, resembling the look of a soccer ball, using nylon carbon. It took more than 200 hours of non-stop printing to create the four portions of the box, with top and bottom halves (joined by a hinge), the fitting platform for the shoes and a small cover for the top. After being printed and assembled in at Wasp's headquarters in Massa Lombarda, Italy, the shoebox was shipped to Adidas’ team.
Adidas presented the custom-made gift to Messi directly following the 2023 Ballon d'Or ceremony in Paris. See video of Wasp assembling the special shoebox here.
