Adidas has launched star-studded short film ‘Backyard Legends’ in the lead up to the FIFA World Cup starting next month.
The mammoth marketing campaign brought together an unlikely mix of sporting icons including Jude Bellingham, Trinity Rodman, Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi alongside musician Bad Bunny and actor Timothée Chalamet.
It’s framed as the “greatest football story ever told” and is centred around a backyard pitch where a trio of players has gone unbeaten for three decades. Chalamet is the narrator of the spot, insisting to his own team that the “whole thing ends today”, before confessing he may have already promised the greatest player on the planet, that his team could pull off a win.
Chalamet said: “I used to dream of playing with these guys – you know, I was playing at Pier 40 as a kid, thinking about Beckham’s free kicks, Del Piero’s goals, and Zidane’s volleys doing my own versions. I love this game, so it’s unbelievable to be doing this with adidas, captured with the best to ever do it. I’m a traditionalist, I don’t know soccer, I know football, and I can’t wait for this summer’s World Cup.”
It also features cameo’s from soccer legends. David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane and Alessandro Del Piero showed up at the peak of their careers, but were defeated in what was the most humbling moment of the story, when one of the local kids pulled off Zidane’s signature move against him.
The film ustilised a blend CGI and visual effects set against a nostalgic soundtrack, 90s street and terrace style, analogue tech and era-defining hairstyles. It aimed to elevate street football culture with some of the most recognised names in sports and entertainment under the Adidas ‘You Got This’ campaign.
Adidas vice president brand communications, Florian Alt said: “Everyone remembers that feeling: playing for the joy of it, no pressure, no expectations. With Backyard Legends, we celebrate that freedom. It’s a reminder that self-belief and playfulness are the real winning mindset. As our athletes and federations take to the biggest sporting stage this summer, we know that pressure is part of sport, we hear that directly from them.”
“While we encourage competitiveness, our ambition is to inspire everyone, to disarm that pressure through playing free and believing, ‘You Got This’. This is important for professional and grassroots players alike; in every sport, in every part of the world. The game isn’t defined by the stage, the crowd, or the cameras. It’s defined by those who play free, where everyone can create a legend.” Alt added.
Adidas is the official match ball provider and kit supplier to 14 federations competing at FIFA World Cup 2026.
