Paraguayan painter Lilly Cantero, best known for coloring the shoes of soccer stars, most notably Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho, is preparing to display her colorful work at the World Cup in Qatar next month.
The Paraguayan-born artist has painted many boots, balls and paintings, many of them inspired by the nature of Qatar and its capital, Doha, which will host teams from all over the world next month to compete for the World Cup title.
Cantero has made a name for herself by coloring football boots, including the pair of boots she sent Messi while he was playing at Barcelona in 2018, which are meticulously designed with a collection of black and white photos of the Argentine striker and his family.
#Doha_Stadium |
Famous shoe designer Lily Cantero posts a photo on Instagram of the legend Messi with shoes specially designed for the player pic.twitter.com/5ybs40SdHX
- Doha Stadium (@staddoha) January 11, 2018
Messi opened the doors of fame for her
Cantero did not know whether Messi would receive this pair of shoes or not, but she was surprised when she received a picture of Messi, one of the best soccer players in the world, holding the shoes.
This situation was a turning point for her, because it came at a time when she almost stopped coloring shoes.
Cantero, who wants to launch her own sportswear brand and push Paraguayan art to the fore at major world events, said: "My career is divided before Messi's boot and beyond. It was a nice moment because because of her, many doors opened for me and my career started."
Durante la Ceremonia de Inauguración del CARFEM, Robert Harrison, Presidente de APF, hizo entrega de unos balones de fútbol pintados a mano para Gianni Infantino, Alejandro Dominguez, Mario Abdo Benitez y Silvana Abdo.
pic.twitter.com/iDBiDmT4sv
— Lili Cantero |
Wearable Art (@lilicanteroart) October 12, 2022
Her colorful designs attracted the attention of other players, and she met two years ago in Asuncion, the former Brazilian star Ronaldinho, and presented him with shoes and a ball painted with his mother's kiss to him after winning the Ballon d'Or in 2005.
In its exhibition in Qatar, Cantero plans to present 8 balls with designs that express appreciation for the winning countries of the World Cup, namely Brazil, Germany, Italy, Argentina, Uruguay, France, England and Spain.
Los balones de la Finalissima 2022
Mi arte estuvo presente en la Ceremonia de Apertura de la Copa de Campeones CONMEBOL-UEFA
El primer balón está inspirado en Diego Maradona, la obra incluye la frase "La pelota no se mancha" y una imagen de Maradona levantando la Copa del Mundo pic.twitter.com/Tzc4tHZpiI
— Lili Cantero |
Wearable Art (@lilicanteroart) June 1, 2022
The shoes will be displayed in 3D technology, the same technology in which the eight stadiums built by Qatar to host the World Cup in Doha, Lusail, Al Rayyan, Al Khor and Al Wakra, and the rest of the series will be a mixture of cultural elements in Qatar and Paraguay.
"I've been working on this (exhibition) for 3 years, and it gives me great pride to represent my country at the World Cup. In Latin America, we live football with great passion, and that affected me a lot," Cantero said.
She added, "Since I was a little girl, I love to live football... It's something I've always loved as much as I've loved art, so I found a way to mix them."