Who better to help promote a world football event than Lionel Messi?
One of the greatest footballers of all time is in the driver's seat to help promote the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup as he stars in the new Budweiser commercial.
The ninth edition of the competition, which is being hosted by Australia and New Zealand, kicked off on July 20 and the winner will be crowned a month later on August 20.
The United States of America is looking to win its third straight World Cup while Sarina Wiegman's England is looking to build on their success from the European Championships.
The Sporting News looks at Budweiser's new commercial and why Messi was given the key role.
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Women's World Cup 2023 Budweiser commercial
The new Budweiser commercial features Messi watching footage from previous Women's World Cups surrounded by crates filled with Budweiser beers.
The company is the official beer of the FIFA World Cup and will be sold in Australia and New Zealand, something that was not done in Qatar due to regional laws.
The advert shows that they will continue with their #BringHomeTheBud campaign. It started in December 2022 when Budweiser decided to give all the unused beer in their Qatar warehouse to the winning country for free.
Prior to the unveiling of the campaign, the high-paced advert also features the line "Greatness is hers to take". This falls in line with Budweiser's parent company AB InBev's efforts to support women's sports. Last year, their drink Busch Light sponsored every female NASCAR driver over the age of 21.
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Why was Lionel Messi in the Budweiser commercial?
Many people would have expected the likes of Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan or Leah Williamson to appear on the commercial for the 2023 Women's World Cup, but the brand decided to take a different approach with Messi.
One of the lines recited by Messi early in the advert is "Who will be next?". With Argentina emerging victorious in the 2022 World Cup, this shows that Budweiser sees both tournaments on a level playing field. As the last winning captain too, it allows them to continue with their #BringHomeTheBud as Messi's side won the beer from Qatar 2022.
The simple fact of Messi, the greatest footballer of all time in the eyes of many, taking part in the commercial for the Women's World Cup also adds more gravitas and highlights the importance of the tournament.