Ex-Ferrari inventor protects footballers' shins in style (Feature)

By Bernhard Krieger Jun 16, 2010, 12:30 GMT

Pretoria - Lionel 'Leo' Messi has them and so does Franck Ribery. Even seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher received a pair as a gift.

What do all these big names have in common? Shin pads made by ex-Ferrari inventor Enrico Campari. Designed to protect the valuable legs of top footballers, the devices have blossomed into veritable works of art at the football World Cup in South Africa.

Campari's shin pads are becoming ever more colourful, personalized and expensive - up to 3,000 euros (3,700 dollars)- with decorations that include leopards, hearts, nicknames, national flags, comics and even Bible passages.

Star Argentine striker Messi has Campari-made pads in the colours of Argentina's flag and inscribed 'Leo.'

Italian captain Fabio Cannavaro has azure blue pads inscribed with the names of his three children. The ones he wore during Italy's 2006 World Cup final victory in Berlin are on display in Italy's football museum in Coverciano.

German national football team members Marcell Jansen, Jerome Boateng, Dennis Aogo and Piotr Trochowski also have shin pads made by Campari. Cameroon's classy striker Eto'o had his pads, in his country's national colours, adorned with a profession of faith: 'God is my refuge.'

A 43-year-old Italian, Campari specializes in custom-made equipment for the world's best footballers.

'My products aim to be the Ferraris of shin pads,' Campari told the German Press Agency dpa. A fervent Formula One fan, he worked for Ferrari from 1989 to 1993 and is now an independent supplier for the luxury Italian carmaker.

During his days at Ferrari, Campari learned how to work with modern plastics and put them to use protecting footballers' legs.

'I naturally gave Michael Schumacher a pair of shin pads right after he joined Ferrari in 1996,' Campari said. Schumacher is an avid amateur football player.

Campari equips the entire Italian national football team as well as players from 21 teams participating in the 2010 World Cup. They include Messi's team-mate Diego Milito, Slovakia's Marek Hamsik, Gilberto Silva of Brazil, Englishmen Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, and star French midfielder Ribery.

Most German players wear stodgy pads off the peg. Campari's models are haute couture - 'attractive, functional and of uncompromisingly high quality,' he said.

Along with carbon and Kevlar, Campari now works with Zylon in his small shop in Parma. Zylon, he explained, is an extremely light - and expensive - synthetic fibre used in Formula One to protect the race cars' petrol tanks.

Italian midfielder Gennaro Gattuso uses Zylon shin pads costing 3,000 euros a pair. Campari's cheapest pads, which are commercially available, cost about 150 euros.

No world-class footballer would wear such pads, though. Theirs are custom-made to fit their legs exactly. And that is expensive.

The personalized design is the icing on the cake and satisfies the footballers' vanity. Campari said the wishes of his deep-pocketed customers sometimes made him chuckle.

Japan's Keji Tamada wanted comics on his pads. Italian midfielder Daniele De Rossi had 'Captain Future' inscribed on his. His team-mate Giampaolo Pazzini opted for 'Pazzo,' his nickname, which means 'crazy.'