da betsson： Lionel Messi has taken the United States by storm at Inter Miami, but that boom is bad news for shirt sellers that have seen business “destroyed”.

da fazobetai： Article continues below

Article continues below

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Argentine icon now chasing American dreamMade a stunning impact in the StatesHistory being made on and off the fieldWHAT HAPPENED?

The Argentine icon, who is poised to land the eighth Ballon d’Or of his remarkable career, has made a stunning impact on and off the field in America. He helped Inter Miami to a historic League Cup triumph within weeks of his arrival, while ‘Messi 10’ jerseys became the biggest-selling shirt in history at the official MLS Store just 45 minutes after going on sale.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Dave Zighelboim runs Miami-based Soccer Locker and has been selling soccer apparel for 42 years. He has never seen anything like the interest in Messi, but that is not doing his business any favours as punters have stopped buying jerseys of more established Premier League and La Liga clubs. Zighelboim has told the : “They’re not buying Barcelona, Manchester United and Man City right now; they’re coming from Guatemala, Mexico, El Salvador, Brazil, Colombia to buy Inter Miami jerseys. That’s been the biggest shocker. A person from El Salvador who couldn’t care less about Inter Miami four months ago, now with Messi, they all want the Messi jersey.

"Subsequently, that has destroyed my business of all the other jerseys. I’m not selling Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool. I’m not selling anything but Inter Miami and maybe Real Madrid. I had tons of product because the team [Inter Miami] was losing and their stuff wasn’t selling much. Then they signed Messi, and all hell broke loose."

WHAT THEY SAID

Brian Berklich – the chief marketing officer of soccer.com, a soccer specific retailer in the United States – is another to have witnessed the Messi effect first hand, with the South American superstar even eclipsing the furore sparked by his new boss in Florida – Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham. Berklich said: “Before that time, Inter Miami would not have been in our top 20, the top sellers were jerseys from the typical global powerhouses like Manchester United, Barcelona, Real Madrid, PSG; so, for a U.S. club to land in that spot was groundbreaking. That top spot has never been held by a player actively playing for a U.S.-based club. When David Beckham came to MLS (2007) there was a lot of interest and excitement domestically, but what we’re seeing now with Messi … there’s no parallel in recent history.”

GettyWHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

While Messi was able to inspire Inter Miami to a first piece of major silverware shortly after his arrival, an untimely injury contributed to his side failing to reach the MLS play-offs. He will now rest and recuperate – taking in friendly outings and 2026 World Cup qualifiers – before his 2024 domestic campaign gets underway in the spring.