Lionel Messi: Says the man behind the bisht he wore to the World Cup final
KEY BRIDGES
- Argentina captain Lionel Messi received a bisht after his team won the World Cup final against France.
- The creator of the traditional Arabic dress did not know what it was for him and considers it a personal victory.
- He said fans in Argentina flocked to his store after the event.
“We didn’t know who they were for and I was stunned,” he told the AFP news agency of the moment Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani dressed Messi in a cape.
A Qatari worker works on a traditional black and gold bisht at Al Salim shop at the Souq Waqif market in Doha, December 20, 2022. A source: Getty, AFP / Karim Jaafar
Mr. Salem recognized his company logo and is now celebrating his own world championship victory.
“Almost all of them were Argentines,” he added as he watched eight fans of the new world champions sing their anthem “Muchachos” (comrades) and take pictures wearing a flimsy bisht and holding a replica of the World Cup trophy.
Lionel Messi wore a bisht, a traditional men’s dress worn by men at weddings, graduations and formal events. A source: Getty / Jean Catuff
bisht boom
But the moment was welcomed by Arab social media users.
An Argentine fan kisses a mock World Cup in a bisht at the Al Salim store in Doha’s Souq Waqif market. A source: Getty, AFP / Karim Jaafar
Mr. Salem and other Arab commentators explained that the intention was to “honor” Messi, and that the gesture was misunderstood.
“These photographs have been widely shared, preserved and republished,” she said.
Typically, the Al Salim store sells eight to ten pieces of clothing a day. On Monday, sales jumped to 150 pieces, including three examples of the top-notch bisht made famous by Argentine footballer Lionel Messi. A source: Getty / Karim Jaafar
Mr. Salem said that when World Cup officials came to his shop, “they wanted the lightest and most sheer fabric.”
For Messi’s bisht, the gold thread came from Germany, while the Najafi cotton fabric was imported from Japan.