A commercial by Turkish Airlines featuring Los Angeles Lakers player Kobe Bryant and FC Barcelona footballer Lionel Messi called "Kobe vs Messi: Legends on Board" has gone viral on YouTube, surpassing 28 million views in five days. The minute-long video shows the two sports stars battling for the attention and admiration of a young boy during a flight on the airline.
The video, created by Alametifarika ad agency and directed by Marco Grandia, has gained 28,724,688 views and 70,094 likes since being published on December 6. It has also earned over 3,000 comments from YouTube users.
"Kobe vs Messi: Legends on Board" playfully shows the two athletes using their incredible ball skills to win over the attention of a young fan. Resorting to card tricks and balloon animals, Kobe and Messi ultimately lose to a Turkish Airlines flight attendant who offers the little boy some ice cream.
This isn't the first time the LA Lakers player has appeared in a Turkish Airlines commercial. Last year, he appeared in a commercial where he squared off with a Turkish Airlines cook in a mixed cooking/basketball competition. Other past Turkish Airlines commercials featured Manchester United and Europe's Euroleague.