The GOAT
The Messi effect is already in full swing less than 2 months after he officially signed for Inter Miami, with daily signups for Apple’s MLS Season Pass shooting up on the days when the Argentinian maestro turned out for his team.
According to data from subscription analytics specialists Antenna, cited by the WSJ, over 110,000 US fans signed up for Apple’s exclusive MLS coverage on July 21st ahead of Messi’s dramatic Miami debut, where he came off the bench to score a 94th-minute winner.
Miami’s heat
Messi has got off to a flying start for Inter Miami with 11 goals and 8 assists over 11 appearances so far, but he’s also been working wonders off the pitch. Since his arrival, Messi's pink jersey has been the best-selling shirt across all sports on Fanatics, resale prices of Miami tickets have soared more than 1000%, and Google search interest in the club has regularly hit new highs.
Messi’s also been instrumental in launching the club’s social media presence into the stratosphere too, helping Miami’s Instagram account become the most-followed franchise across the MLS, NFL, NHL, and MLB, according to the Washington Post. When the news broke that Messi would be joining Inter in June, the club’s follower count soared by almost 7.5 million, and it’s kept climbing since, counting more than 13.8 million new Insta fans since the start of the year.
