we know how some folks idolized sportsmen, but to take home a foot of your idol brings the meaning of idolizing to a whole new level. no. we are not being grotesque about it. we are referring to the Leo Messi x Ginza Tanaka The Golden Foot, as sculpted by Japanese jeweler Ginza Tanaka based on Argentine footballer Lionel Andrés “Leo” Messi’s (aka Leo Messi) left foot – cast in 25 kilograms pure gold. so what makes Leo Messi so deserving of a golden foot replica of his left foot? simple. this dude’s football (aka soccer) career is nothing short of amazing. at 26 years of age, he is already a 4-time FIFA/Ballon d’Or winner, number four top scorer in Champions League, and has a record breaking 91 goals for FC Barcelona. and those are good enough reasons for a foot in likeness of, well, his foot. however, this commemorative collectible does not come cheap and if you are eyeing for it, then be prepared to shell out a dizzy $5.25 million for it. yes. that’s a five with lots of zeros behind it.
for this out-of-this-price, you will get a pure gold ‘body’ (which is the left foot) in pure gold – all 25 kg (55 lbs) of it, a base made out of marble and wood, a Duralumin display case, and an official certificate of authenticity from Leo Messi Foundation. if you really have that kind of money to throw, you’d also be doing some good. as proceeds from the sale of this insanely expensive foot will be channelled for charitable cause via the Leo Messi Foundation. sale of this one-of-the-kind (yes, there’s only one such fine example) starts from March 7 to June 6, 2013. if you find $5.25 million is a chunk to much to swallow, there are a couple of ‘cheaper’ alternatives like the The Golden Foot Plate, a left foot imprint of Messi in fine gold plate with an autograph engraved, that cost ‘just’ $94,500 (limited to just 50 examples) and The Golden Foot Mini, a half-size miniature version of the multimillion dollars replica, costing a ‘mere’ $42,000 (a limited run of just 100 pieces).
