Lionel Messi steals from a student in Pepsi Max Champions League campaign

Messi previously appeared in an ad for Pepsi Max last year.

Football legends Lionel Messi and Paul Pogba cause havoc in a fan鈥檚 bedroom for Pepsi鈥檚 latest Uefa Champions League Football campaign.

Created by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO and set to a bespoke track,聽Rotate by Becky G and two-time Grammy nominee Burna Boy, 鈥淔izz to life鈥 begins as a student works in her room, before opening a can of Pepsi Max, which prompts her posters of footie icons 鈥 including Dutch player Shanice van de Sanden and Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho 鈥 to come to life.

The group engages in a surreal game of football inside the woman鈥檚 posters and magazines, eventually moving the game onto her laptop.

It ends as Messi steals her can of Pepsi Max and runs out of frame.

It was created by Andy Vasey and Dan Warner, and directed by Raine Allen-Miller through Somesuch.

Pepsi Max first recruited Lionel Messi and Paul Pogba for its "Play never stops" campaign in February last year, which was created to mark the start of the Uefa Champions League knockout stages.聽

鈥淚n 2021, we are celebrating unstoppable human spirit, not in spite of the times we鈥檙e in, but because this is a moment and no matter what, we need to keep moving forward with a smile,鈥 Natalia Filippociants, vice-president of marketing for global beverages at PepsiCo, said.聽

鈥淔rom music to football, the new creative encourages the world to break free of conventions, expectations and the bubble of sameness that we often find ourselves in.鈥澛

The campaign includes digital activity, a football challenge via TikTok Duet and limited-edition packaging featuring the four players in the ad, as well as an AR interactive game, which can be accessed through a QR code.

Allen-Miller said: "It was an honour to work with some of the world鈥檚 biggest football talent and to be able to showcase the players鈥 unique personalities and passions in the film.聽

鈥淚 had a great time collaborating with Pepsi Max to create a visually compelling world for the film and tell this fast-paced and fun story 鈥 which I know both football and music fans are going to love."

Becky G and Burna Boy鈥檚 track, which is available across music streaming platforms, was apparently inspired by Pepsi Max鈥檚 love of football.

Last year鈥檚 Christmas ad for Pepsi Max 鈥Christmas refreshed鈥澛 featured UK grime and rap artists Kamakaze and TrueMendous pulling apart longstanding tropes of the festive season, while the brand鈥檚 2019 festive spot starred rapper Cardi B.

Market Reports

Get unprecedented new-business intelligence with access to 北京赛车pk10’s new Advertising Intelligence Market Reports.

Find out more

Enjoying 北京赛车pk10’s content?

 Get unlimited access to 北京赛车pk10’s premium content for your whole company with a corporate licence.

Upgrade access

Looking for a new job?

Get the latest creative jobs in advertising, media, marketing and digital delivered directly to your inbox each day.

Create an alert now

Partner content