Following Argentina’s win at the FIFA World Cup Qatar final, team captain Lionel Messi was wrapped in a traditional ceremonial robe, called a bisht which cost just $2,000 to make, the robe’s maker told Esquire Middle East Arabic.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar placed the robe over the 37-year-old football icon on Sunday, as he made his way to receive the World Cup trophy.
The robe, valued at QAR 8,000, was made by Qatar-based tailor Muhammad Abdullah Al-Salem. Made with the Japanese najafi fabric, the bisht was hand-embroidered and goes through seven different stages until it is fully delivered.
Speaking to Esquire Middle East Arabic, Al Salem said, “at first, we were not aware when we were asked to design this bisht that it was for the World Cup champion, and we were surprised at the opening ceremony that the bisht that Messi wore was from our store, and I felt proud when my knowledge is that our store was the first choice of officials to manufacture this bisht to be worn by the World Cup star by the Emir of the State, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.”
The store had originally made two bishts with different sizes (short and long), for both Lionel Messi and French World Cup Captain Hugo Lloris (1.88 m). In addition, the bisht was also required to meet certain requirements.
“The required specifications were for the bisht to be light, which we understood later and seemed logical to us, and its purpose is for the winning team’s uniform to appear clearly from behind the bisht,” Al-Salem said.
Al-Salem has been making the bisht for a long time. “The reputation of the Bisht Al-Salem is very famous, and it has been famous since the days of Sheikh Khalifa, which is what earned us the confidence to design the bisht for the ruling family in Qatar; Sheikhs of Al Thani, may God protect them, in addition to many ambassadors and diplomats.”
The Al-Salem Store were also reportedly behind making the bishts from the “days of Sheikh Khalifa,” Al-Salem said, adding that the store has built a strong brand that represents Qatari culture and reflects its identity, making them the most famous in Qatar among senior officials and within the ruling family in Qatar.
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