SUMMARY
- Lionel Messi has been voted as America's favorite athlete in a poll conducted by SSRS for the fourth quarter of 2023.
- Messi's presence in MLS and with Inter Miami has contributed to the rise in revenue and viewership figures for Major League Soccer.
Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami in a shock move in the summer of 2023. The Argentine moved to MLS as a free agent after completing his two-year contract with PSG. Many predicted that the legendary soccer player would shift the culture of soccer in the USA, and those expectations are slowly coming to fruition.
The revenue and viewership figures are on the rise for the MLS. These figures are now supported by a new poll that reveals that Lionel Messi is the most popular athlete in the USA. The poll was released by SSRS, which is a sports research polling company.
Lionel Messi is America’s favorite athlete
SRSS has been conducting its research for 30 years, which shows quarterly results about America’s favorite athletes. For the first time in 30 years, a soccer star has topped the list in their poll. Lionel Messi was the America’s favorite athlete in the quarter four of 2023.
Lionel Messi is America’s favorite and 𝐌𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐏𝐎𝐏𝐔𝐋𝐀𝐑 athlete, according to a poll conducted by SSRS. 😯
Messi is ahead of Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Tom Brady, Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant and others. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/Wa70JbKU1e
— Pubity Sport (@pubitysport) February 22, 2024
Messi’s impact with Inter Miami helped the MLS side win the Leagues’ Cup championship and finish strong in the second half of the 2023 season. The overall buzz surrounding the Argentine star was also high thanks to various celebrities being present at his matches in the MLS.
Lionel Messi has joined an elite list by ranking number on this poll. Legendary athletes like, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady Kobe Bryant, Steph Curry, and LeBron James have been top of this poll as America’s favorite athletes for a single quarter. Messi finished above other big-name stars like LeBron James, Tom Brady, and Shoei Ohtani on this poll.
Inter Miami emerged as MLS’ favorite club
Lionel Messi has also pushed Inter Miami to the top of the MLS in a different category. In the same report by SRSS, it was revealed that as soon as Messi joined the Miami side, it surpassed LA Galaxy in the polls as the favorite club of MLS. The Miami-based club is now the 4th favorite overall pro soccer club in the country.
🅰️ Inter Miami started their 2024 MLS campaign with a win last night, beating Real Salt Lake 2-0 with Messi registering an assist for the first goal ✨
👉 3rd MLS assist
👉 6th total Miami assist
👉 309th all time club assist
👉 362nd senior career assist pic.twitter.com/4t38W4nLL1— MessivsRonaldo.app (@mvsrapp) February 22, 2024
Inter Miami is only behind the big three of European soccer: FC Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United. The move has also helped Messi gain a big stride over his eternal rival, Cristiano Ronaldo. Before the move, the two soccer legends used to be close when it came to fan bases in the USA.
However, Messi is now gaining strides over Ronaldo after winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup and moving to Inter Miami. The Argentine can improve on his popularity in 2024 by dragging the Inter Miami side into the playoffs of the MLS Cup.