Inter Miami recently signed Lionel Messi from PSG. The World Cup winner bid goodbye to the French club after a two-year turbulent period. He left FC Barcelona in 2021 after the Catalan giants failed to abide by La Liga’s financial rules. This meant that they couldn’t re-sign Messi on a new contract. Ultimately, that happened again in 2023, when Barca tried to sign the 7x Ballon d’Or winner again.
Messi got off to a blazing start to his career in the United States. He found the back of the net in stunning fashion against Cruz Azul recently. He was subbed off to play in the later stages of the game. The Argentine forward managed to find the top left corner from a free-kick and netted a last-minute winner for Inter Miami. That was certainly one for history when he proved his class with ease once again.
That isn’t all that Messi has been impressing the world in. The former Barca superstar has also been making history with jersey sales and it seems like no other sporting star comes close.
How has Lionel Messi’s transfer helped Inter Miami’s jersey sales?
Reports say that Messi has boosted Inter Miami’s merchandise sales by 50% more than the next club. This is no ordinary feat, and it sure looks like Messi’s impact on Americans has proven to be massive now. That’s not all, the first 24 hours after Messi’s transfer is the best in sporting history, and even the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, LeBron James, and Tom Brady fail to beat that.
The first 24 hours of Lionel Messi Inter Miami jersey sales were the BEST 24 hours of any player changing teams across all sports. It edged out:
– Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United, 2021)
– Tom Brady (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2020)
– LeBron James (Lakers, 2018)(via Fanatics) pic.twitter.com/dObKPH4veP
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) August 2, 2023
Cristiano Ronaldo made a sensational return to Manchester United in August 2021, and that was the dream come true for many at the time. Although it didn’t go according to plan at the end of his tenure in 2022, Ronaldo’s arrival surely boosted the club’s jersey sales. It isn’t all that surprising considering the influence he has had on the modern era over the last few years.
Although the number for the first day is still unknown, reports claim that United made more than $16 million just from jersey sales in the first 10 days. LeBron James, on the other hand, had a similar impact on the Los Angeles Lakers as well. The 4x NBA champion made his way to California in 2018, leaving behind his boyhood franchise Cleveland Cavaliers.
King James managed to boost the Lakers’ jersey sales massively within the first day. To elaborate, within the first three hours, LeBron’s jerseys saw a 600% rise compared to his Cavs jersey sales. One can only imagine how this would have played out over the later stages of the first 24 hours. Similarly, Tom Brady also had a huge impact on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers witnessing a huge profit in jersey sales in 2020.
The 7x Super Bowl champ had the highest-selling jersey in 2018 when he was with the New England Patriots. He was also second-placed in the NFL for the following year. After moving to Florida, Brady saw a huge 900% increase in jersey sales from the previous year. This only puts what Messi has achieved into perspective.
Messi has been tearing it up in the MLS now, after scoring his second brace in a row. David Beckham and Co. are understandably happy with the Argentine, but he sure does have more work to do if the club aims to fill up their trophy cabinet.
Beckham has been lining up a solid team, after signing Barca’s elite, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets. Only time will tell if Messi can make history for Inter Miami on the field as much as he has been doing so off it.