How Difficult Is It to Shoot a Commercial with Lionel Messi

14:37 / 27.07.2026·78·Sport

Lionel Messi's move to MLS further elevated his status as a global marketing icon. However, Hollywood stars emphasize that working with the Argentine football legend requires strict limitations and military precision. In particular, famous actor Steve Carell discovered that Messi allocates very little time during commercial shooting processes. This was reported by Goal.com, reports Goal.com.

According to Goal.com, the forward, who is one of the world's best players, strictly controls his time off the pitch. Especially when participating in major advertising campaigns alongside famous Hollywood stars, the process is organized based on extremely strict rules, which seriously surprises the behind-the-scenes crew.

Strict rules and a thirty-minute window

Renowned actor Will Ferrell, co-owner of LAFC, revealed interesting details about this on The Dan Patrick Show. According to him, although he hasn't personally met the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, he heard these details from Steve Carell during their joint work for a potato chip brand.

Ferrell noted that the time window allotted for working with the 2022 World Cup champion is extremely narrow, leaving no room for typical Hollywood delays or retakes. Once Lionel steps onto the pitch, the technical crew is required to deliver results immediately, creating immense pressure during the process.

Precision like on the pitch

During the interview, Will Ferrell recalled Carell's words: 'I participated in a domestic Lay's chip campaign, while Steve participated in an international one. As it turns out, Messi steps onto the pitch and he has one rule: once he enters the set, you only have 30 minutes with Messi, and that's it.'

Due to this strict limitation, emergency actions begin on the set, and all footage must be recorded as quickly as possible. Otherwise, the player will simply leave. Ever since joining Inter Miami, Messi's international appeal has grown even further, forcing brands to agree to such complex conditions.