MUMBAI: BYJU’S Friday announced football star and global sports icon Lionel “Leo” Messi as the first global brand ambassador of the edtech giant’s social impact arm – “Education For All”.
Messi, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentinian football team, has signed an agreement with BYJU’S to “promote the cause of equitable education”.
The development comes less than a month after BYJU’S said that it has laid off around 2,500 employees, constituting 5% of its workforce, and is in the process of laying off many more as part of an overhaul of its business with a focus on profitability.
Coming back to the onboarding of Messi, as per an official release, the association with one of the world’s most popular sportspersons is in “sync with the expanding global footprint of BYJU’S and its commitment to make education accessible, equitable, and affordable for all”.
The long-term engagement, which begins as Lionel Messi embarks on his final campaign to win the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar as captain of Argentina’s national football team, will see him feature in campaigns promoting BYJU’S Education For All.
Divya Gokulnath, co-founder of BYJU’S, commented, “We are honoured and excited to collaborate with Lionel Messi as our global ambassador. He is a once-in-a-generation talent whose pursuit of excellence, all-in mentality, humility, and reliability resonate deeply with BYJU’S brand values. He rose from the grassroots to become one of the most successful sportspersons ever. That is the kind of opportunity that BYJU’S Education For All wants to create for the nearly 5.5 million children it currently empowers. No one represents the power of enhancing human potential more than Lionel Messi. It is not really surprising that the greatest player of all time is also the greatest learner of all time. I am sure this partnership will inspire millions of people around the world to dream bigger and learn better. As football fans know, with Messi on your side anything is possible.”
For the record, Messi also runs his own charitable organization, the Leo Messi Foundation, which was set up in 2007 with the stated mission that children should all have the same opportunities to realise their dreams.
Earlier this year, BYJU’S made history (in India) by becoming the official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar. Football has roughly 3.5 billion fans worldwide, and Messi has a social media following of nearly 450 million.
