Lionel Messi wore the bisht, a traditional outfit in Qatar when his nation, Argentina lifted the world cup title on Sunday, December 18.
The bisht was bestowed upon Lionel Messi by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar. The outfit, a black and gold bisht was worn over the shoulders of Argentina’s victorious captain.
The robe Messi wore as he lifted the football trophy was a $2,200 bisht, a traditional gown worn by men for weddings, graduations and official events, and it was made by Al-Salem’s family company.
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Al-Salem watched Argentina beat France in a café near the family’s store in Doha’s Souq Waqif, having earlier handed two of the delicate handmade bishts to World Cup officials, one in a smaller size for Messi and one to fit the taller French captain Hugo Lloris.
“We did not know who they were for and I was stunned,” he told AFP of the moment when Sheikh Tamim dressed the seven-times Ballon D’Or winner in the cloak.
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Salem recognized his company’s tag and is now celebrating his own World Cup victory.
The Al-Salem store, a longstanding bisht supplier to Qatari royalty, normally sells eight to 10 garments a day.
On Monday, the day after the final, sales shot up to 150, including three copies of the top-of-the-range bisht made famous by Messi, said Al-Salem.
“At one stage, there were dozens waiting outside the store,” he said.
“They were nearly all Argentinians,” he added, as he watched eight supporters of the new world champions sing their Muchachos anthem and take pictures of themselves while wearing a fragile bisht and carrying a copy of the World Cup trophy.
