Visionary as a businessman and intuitive as a sportsman, David Beckham, Inter Miami’s co-owner, knew that Lionel Messi was the key to boosting soccer in the United States, specifically in Florida, a strategic area for the projection of sports and artistic stars. That’s why he insisted on signing him and he was not wrong.
When the Argentine left Barcelona in 2021 to join Paris Saint-Germain, the French team’s jerseys with his name on them sold out as soon as they went on sale. Demand for the shirts was expected to be high, but the club and sportswear brand Nike did not expect it to be so high due to the fledgling international association of the footballing audience with PSG. Until 2023, when the player remained with the Parisian institution, PSG increased its jersey sales by 40%.
After the announcement of Messi’s arrival in France, in the official framework of the 2020-2021 period, one million shirts were sold. They sold out in the first three hours of their launch. There were those who bought them to offer them online and found buyers who paid up to a thousand euros for them.
Analytical and studious of the marketing impact, Beckham knew that the same thing was going to happen if Messi came to MLS. Time has proven ‘Becks’ right. But it was not easy. Inter Miami’s project is comprehensive, with sports being a priority. The first thing was to get the public closer to soccer, to encourage them to go to the stadium. After that, to generate a connection of identity and belonging with the team, something that has been achieved in the recently concluded season with the conquest of the MLS Cup.
Hand in hand with the signing of Leo Messi, the advertising and marketing impact grew exponentially, which is reflected in the audience that followed Inter Miami’s matches inside and outside the United States, tickets sold at Chase Stadium and shirt sales. Today, the pink team has crossed borders and has a global projection.
Inter Miami jersey among the best sellers thanks to Lionel Messi
According to market indices in sportswear within its football section, there are three clubs from the Americas that have an international impact in the Top 10 jersey sales: Inter Miami (United States), Boca Juniors (Argentina) and Flamengo (Brazil).
Boca Juniors in sixth place and Flamengo in eighth place surpass Al-Nassr, the Arab club that appears among the top 10 that exceed one million shirts sold worldwide; Cristiano Ronaldo, by himself as a marketing magnet, has managed to sell 1,281,000 garments.
Inter Miami is in the places of honor alongside Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSG and Bayern Munich. These five clubs make up the select group of those who sold more than two million jerseys in 2025. The MLS champion sold 2,166,000 jerseys. The Messi factor boosted sales since he arrived in Florida in July 2023.
- Real Madrid (Spain) – 3,133,000
- Barcelona (Spain) – 2,940,000
- PSG (France) – 2,546,000
- Bayern Munich (Germany) – 2,377,000
- Inter Miami (MLS) – 2,166,000
- Boca Juniors (Argentina) – 1,933,000
- Manchester United (England) – 1,855,000
- Flamengo (Brazil) – 1,677,000
- Chelsea (England) – 1,422,000
- Al-Nassr (Saudi Arabia) – 1,281,000
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