What are Timothée Chalamet & Adidas Cooking Up?
For the past few weeks, Timothée Chalamet has been showing up courtside at MSG in Adidas Sambas, and V have been asking questions
It looks like we finally have our answer. Adidas just dropped Backyard Legends, their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign, and our VMAN 39 Cover Star Timothée Chalamet is the protagonist. The film is almost like a Hollywood blockbuster, starring Chalamet alongside Lionel Messi, Bad Bunny, David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, Jude Bellingham, Lamine Yamal, Trinity Rodman, and Alessandro Del Piero, and yes, it’s called “football,” not “soccer.”
Timothée Chalamet, characteristically self-aware, makes that very clear himself. “I’m a traditionalist,” he said of the campaign. “I don’t know soccer, I know football.” Growing up playing at Pier 40 in New York, dreaming of Beckham’s free kicks and Zidane’s volleys, he is not exactly a stranger to the game. The line is charming, very on-brand for him, and sets the tone for a film that is irreverent and joyful without taking itself too seriously.
Courtesy of Adidas
The premise is simple: three fictional local players, Clive, Ruthie, and Isaak, have built an undefeated backyard crew whose “win or go home” streak has survived generations of challengers, including the 90s icons themselves.
Courtesy of Adidas
However, Chalamet’s mission is to assemble a team capable of finally taking them down, and his recruitment list is not exactly modest. Messi, the greatest of all time, is in. Bad Bunny, who has built a presence across music and sport culture, brings his kind of star power to the pitch. Bellingham, Yamal, and Rodman represent the next generation of football legends, while cameos from Ousmane Dembélé, Raphinha, Pedri, Florian Wirtz, and Santiago Gimenez comprise a cast that spans eras and continents.
Courtesy of Adidas
The five-minute film is available now on Adidas’ YouTube channel, built around the brand’s “You Got This” message, a reminder that every pitch, from backyards to stadiums, can create a legend. Adidas will also serve as the official match ball provider and kit supplier to fourteen federations competing at the World Cup this summer.
So… Timothée Chalamet and Adidas are cooking up something… and we are only just getting started.
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